


Hail to the Queen, Baby!

by Calibri_Light



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Childhood Trauma, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, Starts before Pre-Sequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:34:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 46,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22458838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calibri_Light/pseuds/Calibri_Light
Summary: Have you ever wondered what life would be like if things went a little differently? How about if there was an added variable to what should have been a hopeless situation. What if that variable turned things around for the better? Well this tale is going to be about just that! A tale of friendship, adventure, adoration and pain await you in this story, and it all starts with a Hero and the Heroine he never knew he needed.
Relationships: Handsome Jack (Borderlands)/Reader
Comments: 23
Kudos: 105





	1. An Unlikely Friendship

Are you the kind of person who asks themselves whether or not your life would have been better if you had just said these last few words to a certain someone or acted in the last second before it was all too late? I can scarcely bet that you are. Almost everyone in the galaxy has these thoughts. Now, what if I were to tell you that such thoughts had been rectified a long, long time ago? In one world there is a masked hero hellbent on destroying bandits in the name of planetary rehabilitation, only to die by the hands of the very people he sought to kill. However, in another world much like that one, the genocidal hero has a change of heart. Granted it's a long and arduous task, what with the man being about as stubborn and petulant as he is and don't even get me started on the sass, but I'm getting side-tracked.

This is the story of how the infamous Handsome Jack found recovery, affection and even true love in a world he would deem "the sweaty, hairy asshole of a raging Goliath". This is the story of how Handsome Jack met you.

Our tale begins on a space station miles away from Pandora. It wasn't Helios, considering it was still under construction, but Hyperion was known to pride itself in its many company brand establishments. You resided within the accounting department of the manufacturing company. Math and numbers were not your favorite, but at least you had a knack for them or else you would have never landed this job in the first place. Things in your department were hardly exciting. The other staff members were dull, lifeless drones and the more livelier bunch usually moved up the corporate ladder thanks to their charisma and looks rather than using their brains. It should have been considered a horrible miscalculation on Hyperion's part, but Hyperion "never" made mistakes.

Half the time you even considered working harder just for a raise. If not a raise, then maybe that new position as Tassiter's secretary. Honestly, the extra cash couldn't hurt and it would get you into a better apartment than the one you currently owned. Sadly, there were reasons why you didn't abandon your position as an accountant and that very reason was on his way for the daily coffee break in three, two--

" **YOU BUNCH'A ASSCLOWNS!! I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO SHOW MY PASS EVERY FREAKIN' TIME I COME UP H- DON'T YOU TOUCH ME WHILE I'M CARRYING COFFEE IN MY BARE HANDS, YOU STUPID--!!** " Rising from your seat, you leave the kiosk with a sigh. Heading towards the commotion at the doors, you sent a friendly smile over to the tall man holding both of your drinks. Spotting you inside, the man's heterochromia eyes seemed to light up as he pushed past the security guards with a smirk. This time bomb of a man was your best friend, John; or Best Friend in the Galaxy, as he so fondly dubbed himself. Stepping up to you, he holds the cups in their carrying tray in one hand and the other arm is used to wrap around your shoulders in a quick side hug.

"God, can you believe those guys, (Y/N)? They see me visit every day, but they still want me to go and pull out my I.D.! Because yeah, I can definitely whip it out with the third arm they think I have and--Wow, that came out dirtier than I wanted it to. Refresh! Why don't you and I head out of here and enjoy our breaks, huh?" You snort at the charming smile he tries to win you over with and nudge him.

"John, you know they're just following security protocol. We lesser folk of the accounting department have to do the same thing every morning and despite how frustratingly annoying and time consuming it may be when you're running late, it does help prevent corporate espionage or murders." John huffed at your response and pulled out his coffee to take a quick sip of it.

"You sound just like them," he pouts. "You friends with _them_ now or something? Should I be threatened for losing my spot as your Best Friend?" Biting back a laugh at his usual childish behavior, you chose to go with a different approach for your reply.

"I wouldn't say friends...Although, Jeremy is really looking forward to game night and I promised Ben that we would get drinks after work later today."

" **WHAT?!** " When he nearly spilled his coffee, you finally let out a laugh, practically shaking from the startled look on the man's face. He was hardly pleased with your antics. "Oh ha ha. Very funny, cupcake. I'll get you back for this."

"John, c'mon! It was just a small joke--"

"Nope!" Turning on his heel, he started to leave the department. You quickly clock out and follow behind him. "You are going to get it. Maybe not now, but soon. Just you wait, (Y/N), you are going to regret the day you ever played a prank on me." He sounded serious, but you could tell he was only playing with you. He always seemed to smile just a tiny bit when you both did stuff like this at work. With the laughter now gone, all that was left was a comfortable silence as the two of you headed towards the cafeteria. Today was Taco Tuesday and there was no way you two were missing out on that. Sometimes they even served margaritas, but only John was allowed to get them considering his position was higher than yours. He was nice enough to buy one for you every time. He knew how much you hated your job and wanted to make each day a little easier for the both of you.

Now that friendship had been mentioned, you couldn't help but ponder how you even met this man to begin with. Well, you knew HOW you met him, but how did it stick in the first place? The two of you were vastly different in personality. He was like a live wire and you were rubber. You kept him from going too off the handle with his crazy ideas and schemes just to keep him safe. Tassiter thought the two of you working in the same building together would be good for the company, mostly because he knew you had John on a tight leash; his words, not yours. No, John was always going to be like this no matter what, and it's what drew you to him since day one. Back when you both started working in Hyperion to begin with.

It had been cold inside Hyperion's hiring facility, from what you can recall. You had just flown in from Elpis, and even though you cherished the time you had spent on the lone moon still damaged from The Crackening, you couldn't just go back to Eden-6 and end up like your family and work for Jakobs like they had expected. Granted, the Jakobs company is far more friendly and civil than what it had used to be when your great grandpappy worked there, but you wanted to make your own decisions, start your own traditions and begin a new chapter of your life. At least your parents were understanding, although you doubt they will be once they find out which company you were thinking of working for. Papa will especially regard the news with quiet disdain. Jakobs and Hyperion just didn't get along unless they were contractually obligated to.

Taking a seat with the rest of the people waiting to be interviewed, you looked down to straighten your blouse when someone loudly takes a seat beside you. It was like all attempts at grace were thrown out the window thanks to the person now sitting at your side. Chancing a glance, you quickly turned your gaze down after getting a good look at your neighbor, near molten warmth blossoming onto your cheeks like some high schooler. This guy was gorgeous! Arms draped behind the chair, the man crosses his leg and lets out an annoyed grunt. He was probably bored of the wait just like the rest of you.

Why on Eden would a man like him want to get an ordinary desk job like this? He could easily be a rich model if he so chose to be. Maybe he hopes to be more than just a small job type like you were aiming for. He could really pull off the whole CEO thing if he tried. Then again, it would take a lot to reach that point, one being the whole battle getting to the top like everyone else and who knows if Hyperion's current CEO would give up his place. You doubted he would, this was Hyperion, after all.

"You gonna keep staring, cupcake?" You peer up at the God-like vision and slowly begin to realize--Oh shit, you've been staring at him this entire time...AND HE NOTICED! Alright, don't panic! Just breathe. Breathe and don't say something stupid when you get caught doing something crazy or embarrassing. Like when you actually rode a Tyrant through the bayou and though you got a few cheers from the other folks that lived there, your parents were not so jovial. You were promptly grounded for a good month after that.

"Your face is really pretty!" Wow, okay yeah, real smooth there, chief. Very smooth. The man had been starteled by your proclomation and looked just a tiny bit weirded out, but it seemed like he had considered what you said, because the next thing you know he's laughing and leaning back into his chair. God, this was so nerve wracking. You should have grabbed for that spare seat in the corner while you had the chance, but now you had his attention.

"I am, aren't I? It's alright to stare, pumpkin. I get this sort of reaction a lot." Well that's...hardly surprising, but alright. "So, I take it you're trying to land a place with Hyperion too?"

You nod. "Yes, I know my way around weapons, so I figured working with the company would be a good and easy way to earn some cash. That and Hyperion makes some pretty amazing guns. The accuracy increase they factor into the gun is astounding! I once got my hands on a Powerhouse Entrepeneur for my fifteenth birthday and man was that fun to try out. Got to shoot a load of ratch and boy did that make Papa so proud. Said I was the number one sharpshooter in all of Eden-6 after and I still like to stick to that title." Eyes brightening in interest, the man turned to get a better look at you.

"Huh...you're more than just a pretty face like me," he chuckles. Offering a hand, the man flashes a bright grin. You notice the wedding band on his finger and though you were a little disheartened, you wouldn't let it get to you. He seemed friendly enough. Maybe you both would get to know each other on a more respectable level if the both of you got hired. Would be nice to have a friend at work from the start. "The name's John. Currently, I'm an intern at Hyperion. I worked with a few people, but they told me if I wanted a real job there that I had to go through an actual interview like everyone else. I thought it was a load of crap, but what can ya do?"

"Really? Yeah, they should have just hired you from the start. What position are you hoping to get?"

"Cyber Security. Basically, I'm gonna be the guy who makes sure no one hacks into Hyperion. I'll send back viruses if they even try and it's going to be sweet! Haha, no one could ever best me when it comes to code." He sounded so confident here, and though most would find it arrogant, you admired it. Confidence was definitely a must if you were about to head into an interview. Still, you couldn't help but want to tease the guy.

"Uh huh...So you think you're the perfect guy for the job?" John noticed the slight smirk on your lips and leaned in a little closer.

"Absolutely. I learned a lot from these snobby corporate assholes already. I bet I can even become CEO if I wanted to!"

"CEO? Pfft, bet! Fifty credits, right here and now." Oh, he was definitely starting to like you.

"Hard to make a bet if I don't know your name, princess. What do I call ya before I dub thee "The Woman Who Lost to John! CEO of Hyperion"?"

You snort. "It's (Y/N) or "The Woman Who Beat John, The NOT CEO of Hyperion"."

"Oooo, you wound me. It's a bet." You both shook hands, shared contact information and spent the entire time talking as the two of you waited to be called up for your interviews. You were the first one to go up and when you returned, John seemed really curious about how it turned out. You liked to think you did a good job. You answered all the questions without stuttering and stared the two men straight in the eyes with stone cold seriousness. They had seemed impressed with your composure and your resume, so even if they said nothing, their faces gave you at least a little confidence. When John's turn was up, he almost seemed a little nervous, but he raised his chin and stepped into the interview room with hardly any complaint.

You both walked out of there with your ECHO watches updated after waiting around five minutes. Checking your e-mail, you made a face. You were hired, which was what you were aiming for from the start, but it wasn't exactly what you were hoping for...

" **SHIT FUCKING COCKSUCKERS!!** " And apparently it was the same with John, who was currently walking up to a pile of garbage on the side to kick a box a good distance away. "I can't believe those guys! Programmer?! They made me another code monkey! Not even the Lead Programmer at that! And after years of sucking up to those bastards who just LOVED to walk all over me, after I was forced to interview for a job I should have gotten anyways, but Tassiter is such a big friggin' A-hole, that they just had to go and make me a goddamn-- **AAGGHH!!** "

"...You done?" The poor guy nearly jumped out of his skin when he remembered you were there.

"Yeah--God, I'm sorry about that. I have these "issues" and I am going to see a therapist, thanks to my wife's insistance. It's just this place...Pandora...it can really get to you." You can't help but solemnly nod in agreement. The hiring facility was probably the only place untouched by bandits or skags. "So what did you get?"

"They put me in accounting." John pulled a look of disgust. "Yeah, tell me about it. I can do math like the rest of them, but they had their bots put me in accounting because I'msure they just think a I'm not cut out for weapons...I hate doing math."

"It could have been worse. You and I could have ended up without a job in the first place." Considering it, he did make a valid point. Purse in hand, you start to make your way to the nearest Fast Travel system that Dahl had recently designed. They were also called New-U machines, but calling them that made them a little more terrifying.

"I should head back to the Inn. Only came down here for the interview."

"Wait, did you fly all the way down here from Eden-6? Figured you had moved to Pandora a long time ago, but a trip from Eden-6 to Pandora is kinda--"

"No, no, I didn't come here from Eden-6. Haven't been to my home in a long time. Last time I went was to celebrate Mercenary Day with the 'rents. I came down from Elpis, actually." You pointed out and John turned to look up at the moon just miles upon miles up in the sky.

"Damn...but why Elpis? Figured it would be easier getting a job at Eden-6 considering that's where the Jakobs Corporation is." You shrug. Though he did have a point much like your parents did, you would explain the same way you did them.

"Because my family has worked with Jakobs for years like it was tradition and I want to branch out a bit. This universe is massive and full of mystery and adventure and how can I ever experience it if I'm just continuing a cycle like the rest of my family does? So I moved to Elpis as a start and decided to work at a different company. I wanted a new outlook on life and this is how I'm going to do it."

He nods, arms crossed as he mulled it over in his head. "...I can get behind that. Besides, all those space monkeys and banjo playing swamp dwellers, I bet it would get really tiresome after a while." You slug him on the arm for that and he laughs, hands raised to appease you. "Sorry, sorry! I couldn't resist!"

"It's not **always** like that, and those "space monkeys" are called Jabbers and they can be very smart and terrifying when they want to be. They know how to use guns and throw barrels at people--"

"Along with their feces."

"-- _AND_ there are levels to the Jabbers. There's the tiny followers and then there's the King Jabber, which we give peace offerings to, because there is an army out there. I've seen 'em." Laughter shaking him to the core, he follows along beside you to the Fast Travel and from then on the two of you knew that this would be an interesting friendship.

And now here you were several years later, still in the same position you were given, but John was able to climb up the corporate ladder just a little, so now he was the Lead Programmer. He was definitely the best person for the job and it hardly surprised you that he got promoted so quickly, what with his skills and even good looks. Charisma was also an added bonus of his. And as time went on, you were even invited to his home so that you were introduced to his wife and child. They had been so sweet together, just one big goofy, happy family. It was a heartwarming experience to be included. They sure did make you feel like family back in the day. Nowadays, thinking about them only brought a certain pang of sorrow through you. With the coffee long gone and margarita now in hand, you took a couple gulps just to push the memory back into the vault of anguish.

"Whoa, slow down there, pumpkin. You have to go back to counting numbers after this and I know the data will start to look like Eridian text when you're wasted."

"I know, sorry," you apologize. "Just have a lot on my mind. John, we've known each other for years, right?"

"Uh, yeah? Obviously. Where are you going with this?"

"Where I'm going with this is that nothing has changed!"

Finishing his meal, he raises a brow and motions for you to go on. "What are you talking about? A lot has changed for the two of us."

"No, a lot has changed for "you". Here you are working your way up and I'm still stuck in accounting hell with the rest of the stiffs! You actually get to work with the weapons and I'm just--"

"Crunching numbers?" he supplied.

"Yes!!" People quickly look over towards the commotion, but you could honestly care less. Here comes John to the rescue.

"Sorry, everyone! You know how Taco Tuesdays can get." They laugh, he laughs, then he quickly leans down to whisper. "Would ya calm down? You can't give these jerks a reason to fire you."

With a sigh, you try in vain to hide the whimper in your next words. "I'm just so tired, John. Tired of crunching numbers, tired of this boring pattern, tired of feeling ordinary. I want something different for once. I want to be different." You had looked so heartbroken then and though John was never usually great with comforting people, he at least wanted to try with you.

"Hey...hey, hey, hey, c'mon now, princess. Look at me." You did and man do those tears break his heart. "(Y/n), you are far from ordinary. You know guns way more than any of the brainiacs here do and their job is to make Hyperion the best of the best this galaxy has ever seen. You're extraordinary! You could make Hyperion buttloads of cash right now with your ideas if your boss wasn't such a mega dumbass and just promoted you like I know you deserve." You hadn't stopped the waterworks like he had hoped, but you were listening intently to what he said, so that was a good sign. And just as he was about to wow you with a few finishing words that would make his speech better than all speeches, the alarm to your ECHO band went off. Well isn't that just a bummer.

"I have to get back to work. Thanks for the margarita and pep talk, though. I needed it." If that was the case, then why did you still sound so dejected? Why were you still so sad? He was just about to chase after you when something caught his attention. It was a flyer pinned to the bulletin board. Usually this thing only had small jobs for the interns to pick up when there was nothing left to do for their bosses, but this time was different. The flyer was for willing testers for a prototype the R&D department was workng on. It was Weapon Class, compared to the Bio or Chem Classes they usually experimented with down there. Seemed to only be modeled for female workers, whatever that meant, but on a positive note, it said that if the experiment went well for one of the lucky participants they would be able to keep the weapon. Now usually a sentence like that would send out a bunch of red flags in John's very gorgeous head, but all he could focus on was making you happy.

Tearing the flyer off the board, John smirked to himself and rushed back to his department. He had a letter to write.

Work had come and gone and now it was time to return to your quarters where you could eat, watch some television, get ready for bed and sleep just so you could start the cycle all over again. You weren't sure what caused your mood to take a turn for the worst, but you did know that you were wasting your potential as an every day accountant. Maybe you should have stayed up on Elpis. Maybe even Eden-6 where the Jakobs Corporation would have happily put your insight and skills to good use. Maybe it was just that time to qui--

SHUNK!

You nearly fell out of your bed when a letter tube from the chute came in. You rarely ever got letters and when you did they were mostly bills. You had already paid for rent, so this was new.

"Eh...Probably junk mail. That or they sent it to the wrong person again." The last time that happened, John had been hanging out with you in your room and he read the letter despite you trying to send it back into the chute. Boy, did John think that letter was hilarious. Something about an apology and erectile dysfunction. Still, does he know that reading another person's mail is not only going against the employee privacy policy, but that it's also HIGHLY ILLEGAL? Despite freaking out over that, he somehow managed to get away with it and to this day you still question why you're friends with him.

 _"I give your life excitement and an adrenaline rush, cupcake! Don't even try to friggin' deny it!"_ Is what he would usually say. The man was hardly ever wrong. Taking the cylinder out of the chute, you twisted the top open and pulled out a slightly rolled up letter. You recognized the handwriting on the front and went over to your desk to get the letter opener. Inside was a flyer and a hastily written note on the back. 

_(Y/n),  
I know you've been in a bit of a funk lately about  
being an accountant, but I think this could really help turn  
things around! The time of the trial runs are  
on the flyer and I'll be there to cheer you on.  
Besides, I know this tech is just perfect for you  
and only you! Now what do ya say, princess? Ready to start  
a new chapter?  
\-- John_

You read the date, time, put up an alarm on your ECHO band and returned the cylinder to the chute so it could head back to the mailroom. You know, it's been a while since you felt your spirit lift over anything Hyperion related. Maybe John was right in his note. Think it's time for you to start a new chapter. 


	2. The Rise of a Queen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long! I still intend to continue this, but don't expect any regular updates. I actually have two jobs and I write out the story before typing it in. It makes editing a lot easier for me when it comes to the story. Still, this is probably going to be one of the longest chapters, but I hope you like it. And I am not kidding about this being a slow burn. The romance is gonna take a long time to get to, but I will add sweet, maybe even cute moments to tide everyone over until the good stuff happens. I'm really looking forward to making it to that point, though. This is gonna be fun.

"You ready for this, princess? I've given you as much information I could about the trial runs, but there's still so much they left unmentioned. That and behind code so heavily guarded, I would need higher clearance to get access to them, which is a buncha ratch shit, but you know how it is."

"It should be fine."

"Yeah...yeah, okay. Hey, so like, how good are your reflexes?"

"What do you--?"

"I'm hoping really good. What about your aim?"

"Did you seriously just--?"

"No, don't say it. Heard it when it came out of my mouth. Did you eat?"

"John..."

"You didn't have breakfast, did you? I freakin' knew it! Alright, you just wait right here and I'll grab us a few burritos from the cafeteria. You like hashbrowns in your breakfast burritos, right?"

"John."

"Of course you do, who doesn't? I'll just be a sec--" Oh, by all things good on Eden-6, this man must be stopped before he blew a fuse. 

" _JOHN._ " Grasping onto his arms, the tech wizard finally stops walking and talking two steps ahead of even you. That's a bit much for anyone. "You need to stop freaking out."

Backpedaling, John scoffs at your accusation. "I'm not--!" you're faster than him on this one, though.

"Yes you are, I know you. I've known you for several years now and I know that when you worry, you ramble and become just a little more doting. Sweet as that is, I'm good."

"But--" Nope. No more talk from him about this.

"No buts, mister. Now fill me in a bit more on these tests." He looked ready to go back to the argument, but he relented and pulled up his ECHO band. Letting out a breath of agitation, he began to relay the details he dug up from within the R&D servers. There really wasn't much to go on from what he could gather. All you two had to go on were the names of the participants and an odd symbol of a honeycomb with a bee in the middle. It seemed to be wearing a crown, so a queen bee? Why would that matter in something like this? Despite this, John seemed to favor the color choice. Yellow was his favorite color.

"I got what I could, but you'll be on your own for the most part." He hardly sounded pleased with that. You knew more than anything that he wanted to help, but it was prohibited. Taking his hand, you gave it a squeeze.

"Promise to cheer me on, alright? I don't think I'll make it without you." Something deep down was being honest with him and you believed it was friendship that made you say it. I mean, it had to be, right? Offering him a smile, John slowly returns it. This will have to do for now.

"Fine, but I'm gonna pull out all the stops for this one."

"Oh god..."

"I need pompoms and maybe a few whistles. A slide whistle is also a definite must have." This man was going to be the death of you one day, surely.

"You don't need those, ever, in your lifetime."

He laughs and heads over to the elevator to press the button down. Shouldn't take too long to get there. "I will definitely need those. Bet I could find a few with my group of fangirls."

You gave a roll of the eyes at the mention of them. Just when you were about to forget their existence. Ever since John got himself promoted, he had been getting attention from people left and right, even Tassiter. Women, men, even the robots fawned over John like he was an idol. Wouldn't surprise you, considering they also treated him like he was some up-and-coming hero and you were just the little doormat they tried to walk all over just to get to him. You know, until you managed to bite back at them. They all deserved it with the unnecessary harassment you were collecting on the ones that actually tried to physically or emotionally harm you.

When the elevator arrived, you both got in and headed straight down, talking strategy with each floor you passed by. Usually with Weapon Class tests, the testers would be put through a course to see how well the weapon handled and to make a list of statistics from the targets that were hit and video replays. This way the developers could determine whether a product was ready for mass production or if the product still needed a bit of tweaking in core areas of the design. It was a common practice amongst most weapon distributors, but most of the time they would have robots test the products out just to keep casualties to a minimum. Hyperion was not the kind of company who cared much about lesser employees. If the product sold well on the market, who were they to complain about a few lost lives? This was all just "good" business.

When you both arrived to the test floor, you were admittedly stunned at the amount of women willing to risk their lives for this one prototype. Judging by how chatty a few of them were, you doubted they knew how serious these tests were going to be. Fame and glory...that's all anyone ever really focused on in Hyperion.

"Oh my god, they're all gonna die," John pointed out with a chuckle as he took your hand to lead you over to the check-in counter. It would seem a good number of them hadn't heard what he said, considering most of them seemed to grovel at the very ground he walked on. As annoying as it was, the reaction was hardly a surprise anymore.

"That really helps. Thanks for that."

He snorts. "You know what I meant, (Y/N). These posers have nothin' on ya. This prototype is all yours." How he could sound so confident in you succeeding, you'll never know. Regardless, you heeded his insistence and signed your name in with the rest. The man at the counter handed you a liability sheet to sign (charming) and gave you a pen and number. Looks like you were lucky number fifty-nine. This was going to be a long day.

"Aww, fifty-nine? Ten more and it would have been friggin' aweso--!"

**SMACK! SMACK! SMACK, SMACK!!**

"AUGH! OW, AHAHA, OUCH! I'm kidding! (Y/N), I'm sorry, just stop smacking me with your forms!" You both seemed to end up laughing at the situation, but that all changed when loud stomping made its way into your bubble. John was the first to look and he turned pale as a sheet at whoever it was. You finally realized who when the gargantuan shadow fell upon you as well. Her name was Brenda and she was the kind of muscular woman who would make even Goliath's tremble at her feet.

"Is this lil' pipsqueak bothering you again, Jack?" You flinched at the name. You had no idea why his fan club stuck with that name--maybe because they got it wrong or thought he looked like a Jack, but it made you cringe every time. John was never bothered by it, though. In fact, he seemed to feed into it. He liked being called Jack and you couldn't understand why. Hell, half the time he even called himself Jack and became a whole new person when he did. You would have dug further into why that made you uneasy, but you decided that it would all be fine in the end. Besides, what's wrong with changing your name? People do it all the time. It should be fine.

"N-No, Bertha--"

"Isn't it Brenda?"

"--she and I just do this sort of thing a lot. We're best friends! You know...besties?" He wrapped an arm around your shoulders to prove it, even smiled and the giant woman only looked skeptical at that. However, she knew better than to argue with the man who caught her attention and admiration. That's usually what happened these days with John.

"Hmph, very well," she grunted. "Still, I wish your puny friend luck during the trials. She is going to need it." You made double sure to flip her off when her back was turned. Goddamn fangirls.

Pulling you a little closer, he dismissed her words with a wave of the hand. You couldn't be bothered with her BS, you had forms to fill out. "Don't listen to her, pumpkin. That prototype's got your name written all over it. Besides, Big Bertha there would probably end up breaking it in her big meaty claws." He practically beamed at your burst of laughter. At least he could still make you smile when times got tough.

"Number thirty-seven!" came a call from the front desk. "Number thirty-seven, you're up next! Please bring your forms up to the desk and step through the door to your right. If anyone wants to watch the test run, the observation room is just down the hall." Leaping from his seat, John started to make his way there. No way was he going to miss this shit show.

"This is going to be great! C'mon, (Y/N), let's go get front row seats!" You doubted there would be any actual seats, but wouldn't that be a nice thought?

"Nah, I'll stay here for a bit. I still need to fill out these forms and I don't want to get too distracted with the sounds of screams and gun shots." Usually, John would argue that those were the best parts to a fight, but you couldn't sit there when he got overly hyped up on the thrill of battle. He's been watching way too many Pandoran shows. Might need to cut him off soon before it gets to his head.

"Aw, what? No! You need to see this if you want to even stand a chance. Princess, come on. This will really help you."

"I think I'll manage."

"Ugh, why are you always so stubborn?! Well fine, then. Be that frickin' way." You could just hear the overly dramatic pout in his tone, but as an adult you chose to ignore it. The moment you turned to look at him, he would instantly have you falling right into the palm of his hand. He just had a way with words. As soon as he realized you weren't moving from your spot, he grumbled and went to go and watch the fight without you. At least one of you would be taking notes.

Hours go by and more and more women are taken up to take the test, even Brenda who shot you an overly confident look before heading into the room. You ignored them all for the sake of reading over the documents. Almost all of them were shady, but without a lawyer on hand, you couldn't exactly argue with them over the choice of words they used in the forms. This was the equivalent of selling your soul to the devil, but you already did that by getting the job in the first place. Another level down into Hell shouldn't hurt too badly. Signing it, you get up to turn it in, but John comes running back out from the Observation Room in a panic. His strong arms wrap around your waist and try to pull you away, but you're adamant.

You take pause, however. Is John, shaking? Glancing back, you nearly gasp. The mask is down and he actually looks fearful. Instinct takes over and you're in full protective friend mode now. Whoever or whatever did this is going to pay. Gripping his shoulders, you attempt to get his attention.

"Oh my god, John? Hey, what's the matter? Goodness, you're shaking all over, what happened!?"

"Don't..." The rest was murmured far too low for you to make any sense of it. Another bad sign; John doesn't do quiet. Ever.

"What? John, don't what? You're starting to really freak me out here and I will be so pissed if this is some kind of prank--"

"Don't take the trials..." Wait, what? What does he mean don't take the trials? This was his idea in the first place! "If you go out there, you'll die...! So many women were...and I thought most of them were hilarious, but when it took down that behemoth Bertha, I...I don't think this is for you. Let's just turn back and we can figure something else out. Come on, (Y/N), let's get out of here."

It takes more effort considering he's actually strong underneath that yellow sweater. "John, everything is going to be fine. I'm not going to back out of this and unlike the other women, I'm going to pass these tests and win me that prototype and get it upgraded until it's fit to be a real weapon to use. This is happening now." God, it cut deep seeing that uncertain look on his face. You found minor relief when you turned the forms in. "I know you're worried...but I need you to trust me. Can you do that for me?"

He was so hesitant. The man would much rather take your hand and run from that part of the building until you were either back at his quarters or yours, but he knew that when you had your mind set on something, nothing could deter you from it. Much as he admired that quality from you, it came at such a bad time. "Okay..." Sadly, he just can't say no to you. "You just promise me you'll make it out of this alive. I'm not allowed to tell you the details or you'll be disqualified, but it's tough. I don't even know how to figure it out and I'm kind of a tech genius."

"I'll be fine. I lived on Eden-6 for most of my life, surrounded by dangerous creatures, insects and plants. Trust me on this." The sound of speakers popping on made John's blood run cold. He wasn't ready to lose another person he cared about.

"Number fifty-nine! Number fifty-nine, you're up next."

You took a step back and beamed at your friend. "This is it! Don't forget to cheer for me on the sidelines. Gonna need that boost if I'm ever going to make it through this." He would much rather be anywhere but here right now with the two of you going up to the Navigation Room just to observe the various planets that you all worked near like wistful children, but if this is what you wanted then so be it. He will cheer the loudest he's ever managed and lift your spirits so well that you will pass the test and not die and just join him for a beer at the bar like he desperately wants right now...or maybe something stronger would work better for this.

Stepping aside, you waved to him in farewell before heading inside. John could only watch in a tragic attempt at concealed despair. Why he had thought any of this was remotely a good idea, he'll never know. He just acts and considers the consequences later. Sometimes he never does, because nothing is impossible for Handsome Jack. Jeez, as much as he loves that title, now wasn't the best time to use it. He can only cross his fingers and pray to whatever deity was listening that you would survive this.

On your end was a long hallway that led to a single door at the very end. It wouldn't surprise you if the design choice was to make testers reconsider their options before making the ultimate sacrifice for science. Your steps were confident, at least that's what you thought, and your head was held up high. This was going to work. A new weapon, a new purpose in life, a new start to the dreary life you had before. This just HAD to work.

The training area on the other side of the door was as much as you expected it to be. Big white room with a giant, bulletproof window on your right and another one in front of you and near the ceiling. More than likely this was the window that the developers would be looking through. You could easily see two of them lurking around up there, mere shadows behind an extremely blurry glass. Trying to look ominous, no doubt, but all they did was annoy you.

Taking a step over to the arsenal of weapons to your left, you ignored how the "arena" began to take form all around you. With digistruct technology, all it took was a quick type of the keyboard to bring in anything physical from one place or another. This, however, was more of a change in scenery. It was close to Pandoran, with its vast amount of sand and rocks, but it also had foliage like Eden-6. This arena was going to be a mix of familiar and new and you were ready for it.

The click of the intercom caught your attention and a deep voice spoke to you through it. "Please choose a weapon of your liking. You will need it for the test run. Make sure you choose wisely, because you will only have one." Another click let you know that they had cut out. Well...this was going to be fun. Looking over the selection, you let out a snort of distaste. They were hardly anything to gawk over, and being a weapons expert, you definitely knew that. There were basic pistols you could find for cheap at any other shop, SMG's, a shot gun and a sniper rifle. You only had one option for this test, so you had to choose one that would best fit for all types of situations. After some thought, you decided on the SMG.

You checked it to make it was easier to handle than the other ones, made sure the sight was good and gave it a few practice shots to test out the kickback. It was perfect. Reloading it, the developers knew then that you had made your decision and deconstructed the rack of weapons. Seems the only thing they left behind around the area were ammunition kits and a few health pack chests. Those would come in handy, considering you had no clue just how dangerous these tests would be. Maybe you should have heard John out a little bit more. Before you could consider that issue more deeply, a countdown of sorts started and you ran for cover. Let the show begin.

Waiting in silence was possibly the worst part of this. You had no idea what this thing even was and no way of knowing just how to detect it. All that remained in the arena was the sound of your own breathing, and you had made damn sure to keep the volume of that to a minimum. Panicking would only get you killed. You'd seen it happen to a man who had frozen up on the spot instead of run in the other direction from the ravenous saurian. Papa always told you that if you were to ever face one, make sure to shoot it 'tween the eyes or else it would come and eat yours. A little graphic, but hardly false.

BZZZ...

What the hell? What was that noise?

BZZZZ...

It sounded like a low buzzing, but what would be causing it? Maybe it was a technical error from the room itself?

BZZZZZ...

Was it getting louder? Oh crap, that meant the noise was coming from the weapon and it was getting close, but where was it? Banging from the observation room window caught your attention and you turned your focus to John, who looked at you with that terrified gaze from earlier. He was waving his arms and shouting at you from the other side. Sadly, you couldn't make out a word he was saying thanks to the soundproofing, but you could distinctly see him repeating only one word to you. What was he trying to--is that the sound of a laser gun charging? Meeting John's eyes, you finally understood what he was telling you loud and clear.

_**RUN!** _

"Shit!" Dodging to the right, you watch in utter horror as the rock you were using as a hiding place completely disintegrates into tiny particles. The rock was now dust in the wind and you would have been in the same position if you hadn't moved. The weapon that seemed to be sentient enough to attack without a wielder was...a bee? At least, that's what it looked like, but it was far too shiny and mechanical to be a live insect. Must be a new drone model they were trying out, but you didn't get the bumblebee concept. Most of the drones they made resembled jets, so this was a very independent idea.

Now to figure out how to pass this test without completely destroying the drone. Half the time these developers would prefer it if the testers didn't completely obliterate their work, but considering the situation you were currently in the middle of, you would give them a fifty-fifty chance of getting their stuff back in one piece. Its sensors were set on you and you knew you had to find some cover fast. Practically sprinting behind more rocks and trees, you could only pray that the encoded foliage would save you from the drone's wrath. It was a momentary peace. This thing zipped through the trees and bushes with ease, chasing you like this was merely a game of tag than a fight to the death.

You tried to fire a few shots at it, nicking it's sides and wings every now and again. It sparked with a light blue sheen each time and that brought a curse to your lips. Shields...of course it had a shield. You needed an electric weapon to get through it and this was just a plain old SMG. Hopefully they gave you enough ammunition to cut away through it until you got to its weak spots. Although, if you even did get through the shield, you would have to keep at it or else it would regenerate. Really starting to think the odds just weren't in anyone's favor this entire test run. Screw Hyperion and their sadistic, selfish nature!

Deeper and deeper you fled into the forest, getting scraped at by branches and nearly tripping over roots that jutted out of the ground. This place was starting to remind you of your home, but even Eden-6 had better spots to hide behind. The trees were even larger. Large enough to build a home fit for families in who lived there from one generation to the next. This set up paled heavily in comparison.

BZZZZ

It all happened way too quickly. The drone just flew up from the side and stabbed at you with its "stinger" at the ready. You barely managed to get away from the onslaught with a cut to your arm. It was better there than somewhere far more fatal. Shooting at the drone again, you watched as the shield sparked more and more until it finally fell apart. With the shields down, you ran, shooting behind you as much as you could before you had to keep your focus on where you were running. Even a little damage to it was good enough for you.

Even from where you were in the forest, you could hear John slapping his hands on the Observation Room window, probably trying to get your attention or just pissed enough to want to try and break through it to help. All too quickly it stopped and it wouldn't surprise you if he had turned back to try and find a way inside this room. He was going to have a lot of fun with security again. Hope they were ready to go deaf with all his cursing and shouting. Ducking to the side, you hid within a pile of bushes to catch your breath. God, this was starting to remind you of the time you helped John out with that favor he asked years ago. It had been a simple one, but still just as awful as this entire experience was. Probably a little more awful, if we're going to be honest here.

That had been the day you first met John's abusive grandmother. She was a venomous and evil old bat. The entire time John was in her care as a young boy, he would get yelled at, called all sorts of terrible names a person could think of and she beat him senseless if things didn't go the way she wanted them to. Half the time you doubted she knew even what she wanted. At least, that's how John had explained it after the favor had been over and done with. She demanded money and supplies, expecting it since John never had much of a backbone when it came to her to begin with and it baffled you just why he would continue to help her when she was the embodiment of skag shit. Then again, abuse can do a lot of things to a person...like take their confidence and self-esteem with only a few small threats. It made you sick.

She had lived in a small house on Tantalus and John was in the middle of taking back more of his things from her place since he had lived with her once several years ago. You had agreed to help him collect all of his remaining stuff, because she was bound to sell it for more alcohol and cigarette money. How she wasn't dead yet with how much of those she went through is still something he's trying to wrap his head around. You thought the woman would have been civil, but she was a demon the moment the two of you walked right into the house. Even with John keeping you out of his grandmother's sights, you could easily see how twisted she was. The saw axe in her wrinkled grip didn't make matters any better.

"What the hell are you doing back here, you ugly little bastard?!" she screeched, swinging at him with the axe. He dodged to the side, you backed away and she got a good look at you. "And who is this whore?!" Before she could come at you next, John pushed you towards his old room and slammed the door behind you, making sure to block the way so the crazy woman wouldn't barge in. He was taking a bullet for you while you collected his things, so you made sure to get everything sorted as quickly as you possibly could. You put away as much memorable and valuable items you could grab into John's suitcase, but realistically there wasn't much inside the small bedroom. John lived a really bad life...there wasn't even a single picture of him as a kid. Nothing of his accomplishments. Not a single memory. This room was basically a prison and it broke your heart at the sight.

The shouting outside seemed to grow in volume and you zipped up the case. Time to get the hell out of here. You stepped out and found John on the ground, glaring up at the woman who was sadly part of his bloodline and just as she was about to bring the axe down on him, you rushed over, grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her so hard you swore you heard it snap. She screamed and fell to her knees, cradling her arm delicately and you and John grabbed what you could and bolted out of the door and back to the car. It was when you two were miles away that you both finally let out a sigh of relief. This was how you learned of John's life before Hyperion and how you two became more protective in your friendship together. He was there for you just as much as you were for him and you knew nothing would break that bond. Not after that experience.

BZZZZZ

"Damn insect!" Reloading as fast as you could, you fired more rounds at the drone and whittled away at its mildly regenerated shield. There were more sparks flying from it, so it was bound to go out with a few more shots, give or take. This endless cycle of chasing and shooting continues on until you finally manage to take out some of its legs. Probably the first time you ever felt proud of yourself for this endeavor, but it was a short lived victory. The moment you did actual damage to it, the drone turned hostile and flew faster towards you. The eyes even turned a ghastly red that reminded you of those hero movies John made you watch where the hero would see someone they care about get hurt and their eyes would shine in this dark promise to get back at the villain. You weren't sure why he liked those so much, but perhaps he liked to see himself as the hero, ready to take on evil wherever it may surface. He always did want a better life for himself.

Angry as it was, the drone quickly charged its laser and shot at you with frightening precision. You tumbled out of the forest from the force of it and rolled through the dirt, only to abruptly stop with a giant boulder to the back. That was definitely going to bruise.

"Augh...god...damn it," you curse, tasting blood with each syllable. Internal bleeding or not, you didn't want to stay there and figure it out, especially with that bee flying around looking for you. With what strength you had left, you crawl your way behind the boulder and lean against it. You needed to catch your breath and plan your next attack. You were definitely out of depth when it came to flying targets. You would need to get this thing on the ground somehow. Maybe a trap would suffice. Yeah, the forest had vines, twigs and a few rocks and logs. You could easily put something together to keep the robot pinned just enough to weaken it to near disrepair. Now to make it back in there without giving yourself away.

You peek around the corner and let out a breath of relief. Nothing there. Probably the only chance you'll get to limp right in. You take it like anyone would a million dollars, even with your senses focused on all of the drone's giveaways. No buzzing and no bright yellow colors. It must be licking its wounds somewhere, if the bot could even manage to do that.

It doesn't take too long for you to find the perfect spot to set the trap. The simulation room wasn't that big, but it was big enough to give you space to run and hide. You just needed the one trap and your gun. You got to work, knowing that if you stopped for even a second that it would all be over. John would go on without a friend, your parents would probably never know you died out here and you would have left nothing behind. No real name for yourself, except for subject fifty-nine, just another Hyperion test subject that tried to make a difference and only failed in the long run. That was NOT going to be your legacy.

BZZZ

Shit, already?! Come on, didn't this thing know what patience was?

BZZZZ

Apparently not, the bastard. Crap and double crap, this was not your day. Whatever. You only needed to tie up some vines atop the branches and the trap would be set. This was going to work. It had to if you wanted to make it out of this place alive.

BZZZZZ

It was even closer now. If you wanted it to get caught, you would need some bait. Considering it didn't have a digestive tract, you would have to act as its prey. It hated you enough to want to kill you, so why not? Next was to make sure it came at you with its stinger and not the laser. Your plan hinged on it coming at you with a more stabby intent. You could probably manage that or die trying.

BZZZZZZ

This was it; now or never. With the trap set, you placed yourself underneath it and waited for the threat to arrive. It almost looked cocky as it flew over. Could a drone even be cocky over beating its opponent? Depending whether or not they added an AI chip to its programming, you could never really say. All you knew was that it wanted to end you, simple as that. You raised your weapon in defiance, a confident fire burning in your eyes.

"Well, you found me. I decided if I'm goin' out, it's gonna be with a bang. So come and get me, you bumble bitch! I'll face ya, no sweat!!" The drone actually paused and tilted its head. Did it actually seem intrigued? Curious? Regardless, it still unsheathed its stinger and readied itself for an attack. This was it. Buzzing towards you at near break neck speed, the bee was ready to end you at that very moment, but the moment it got close enough, you moved to the side and shot at a vine that lead up to the trees. A net fell down and actually managed to snag the bot within the vines.

This was your chance!

Shots were fired and the shields went down again, leaving the bug open. You shot off its wings, the rest of its legs, even the antennae until all that was left was its head and torso. Even while it was completely at your mercy and immobile, the insect struggled to try and get at you. Jesus, you were sick of this damn thing.

"It's over! Accept that you've lost, honeybee or I'll snuff you out. I won't even hesitate to end your robotic life." It heard you. It heard and it stopped to look up at you, scanning you, placing all of the data it could of you into its memory and to the rest of the Hive, but you weren't aware of any of its mechanical imprinting. Far too absorbed with your own survival, you failed to hear another set of buzzing coming up from behind.

The sound that left you when one of the drones landed on your shoulder was an odd, almost animalistic mix of a scream and yelp. You were going to open fire, but the bee wasn't attacking you this time around. In fact, it almost seemed calm, fluttering its wings when it realized it caught your attention.

"What the hell...?" More and more flew in from all corners of the forest. Several landed above on the simulated branches, others at your feet to tend to their comrade that had fallen victim to you, and the rest on your head and arms, clinging comfortably as their antennae brushed along your clothes and face. This was all very strange. Why weren't they trying to kill you? That's why they showed up in the first place...right?

All too suddenly, the simulation came to an abrupt end. The bees reacted swiftly and swarmed the area, surrounding you in a protective barrier. One of the developers spoke to you from up above in their booth, possibly to give an explanation, which was great because this was really starting to fuck with you right now. Did you fail?

"Seems they've accepted you," murmured the silhouetted man. "The first out of hundreds of Hyperion participants. Have to say, even I'm a little impressed with your quick wit and display of bravery, Miss (Y/N)."

"Accepted? What do you mean accepted? Why would they do that when I nearly killed one of their own?"

He let out a chuckle. "Because that is how they were designed. We wanted to see what we could do with our robots if we decided to mass produce them with a hive mind personality. It would have made reeling in the CL4P-TP units far more manageable and easier on everyone's sanity, but instead we decided to go with a different approach."

"So you weaponized the concept and sent out an ad to test out your tech."

"Exactly. We had to use actual bee qualities to make the concept work, but all bees need a queen to function in a hive mind society. The queen rules over them all and makes sure everything runs smoothly with the workers, tending to them while they in turn tend to her every whim. We had originally created a model for such a role with our drones, intending to settle with a more remote control method with the queen bee model, but we failed to look further into bee behaviors when it comes to bringing a queen bee into their fold."

That was an entire mouthful of a sentence, but you could guess what happened during their first test run. Still, you had to ask. "What do you mean? What happened to the first queen bee?"

"Turns out the first queen was unfit to control the rest of the Hive. They ended up swarming it and destroyed it beyond repair. We new that building a new one would be pointless, even if we gave it new quirks or weapons. The Hive would only pick someone whom they saw fit to be their queen..." Ah, none of this sounded any good. In fact--

"So all those women before me are dead because the bees didn't like them?!" Should they be slapped with a few lawsuits for this? You're considering it.

"In a way, yes. Bees choose the healthiest, strongest--and in this case--wisest queen to rule over the Hive, so to speak. Though several of these women came very close, we're saddened to say that they did not meet all of their requirements, at least until you came along."

A smaller drone landed onto your shoulder and you gave it a quick glance. "So all of these drones are like...under my control now?"

"Not quite yet. As it was stated in the ad, these are merely prototypes. Thanks to the data we collected today, the finishing touches will be completed very soon and once they are, we'll send the suit model down to your quarters. The package will only be opened with your fingerprint, so don't worry about it getting stolen. Besides, the drones imprinted on you. If anyone else wears the suit and they aren't you, they'll kill them within an instant."

Ah...well this was a strange turn of events. "Wait, you said a suit! I thought I was testing out a weapon for you guys. That's what your ad said! A Weapon Class test run." There was a long pause and for a moment you thought he had left, but the shadow was still there; staring down at you like another one of his specimens, probably.

"My dear, you are the weapon and you passed with flying colors. We at Hyperion welcome you into your new role as the personal bodyguard to President Harold Tassiter. Expect your suit in the next three days and make sure to clock into work for your new position a week from today. Thank you and have a nice day."

.............

Hold on.....WHAT?!


	3. Good things come to those who wait

Would distraught be the right words to use for the situation you were in? Maybe livid or plain lost mixed into a ball of Jabber Secretion. Felt like it, at least. Harold Tassiter's bodyguard...why did he need the added protection? He wasn't that infamous in the corporate world. If anything, this would be an easy job with damn good pay and benefits. You were definitely considering the position, but John...

"You're NOT working for that asshat." He had a different opinion. "Tassiter is just going to ridicule you the entire time you're by his side, and pumpkin, you don't deserve that. Why not be my bodyguard instead? You'll still be paid well and we get to work together! Perfect plan right there, huh? So what do ya say, sweetheart? Coffee meet up at say...seven o' clock this coming Wednesday?"

You snort as you check the time. "You mean the exact time and day I am to meet up with the President of Hyperion?"

"Yes. He'll never know you're gone."

"John, I don't like the guy anymore than you do, but this is what I signed up for. Besides, this gives me a chance to test out my new gear." Which was lying rather comfortably on your bed. John looked at the box with mild disdain. He was still coming to terms with all of this and you understood his worry, but this was a good opportunity for you! Also none of this would have happened if it wasn't for him in the first place, but you decided not to tell him outright. He'd propably agree and voice his regrets.

"You gonna try it on?"

"Well, I'm going to have to. They made this for me to wear and use and I need to test out the tech eventually. Wonder if they upgraded the drones."

Watching you open the box, John scoffed and took a seat in your rolling chair. Probably the only luxurious thing you had in this near prison cell of a bedroom and wasn't that just sad to admit? "Why do you care? Didn't they try to kill you? I distinctly remember wanting to take a bee bot out with my pistol."

"Yeah, I know. You actually did that when security finally let you through."

"I was trying to save you!"

"And you nearly died in the process, John."

Stubborn as all get out, the man spun around and glared at your desktop, which was casually bouncing the Hyperion logo all across the screen. He even had his arms crossed like a child who was told no when he wanted some candy. John usually acted like this when he didn't get his way and since you already knew this, you decided to ignore him and take out your new suit. To be honest, it didn't look like much. Actually, it didn't look like anything a person would even drool over. They looked like simple work out gear and that was it, which was a disappointment.

There were black gloves, black leggings and a black crop top with that ever familiar queen bee symbol you and John managed to find inside the R&D's files. It was distinctly emblazoned in white to make it stand out for all to see on the back of the crop top. If they wanted your enemies to fear you, they needed a symbol to remember you by and this was going to be it. Part of you wondered if this whole thing was a joke. I mean...fitness gear? This was all they were going to give you? It almost felt like an insult after all the bullshit they put you and a bunch of currently deceased women through.

"Wow, they really screwed you over..." Ah, seems like John's short attention span kicked in and he returned to the matter at hand. "What is this crap? How do they expect you to protect Tassiter with these? You'll be shot point blank with these on...not to mention all the stares you'll get from the other employees and don't even get me started on that creepy guy. You know, the red head who always likes to stare at the women who pass by him wearing short skirts or shorts? Someone just needs to toss him out an airlock."

Ignoring that, you ran your fingers across the gear, feeling the soft material. "Maybe I wear this underneath the real suit? Was there another box at the door when you came by?"

He shook his head. "Nope. That was the only thing out there when I showed up." Well shit. "Still, why not try them on? Might as well see if it all fits before trying to send them back. And while you do that, I'll dig around and try to see if there was an instruction manual buried somewhere inside the box. They wouldn't just send this to you without one, that's so stupid!" As much as you would rather ship this all back now and not try it on to begin with, you decided to listen to John for once. And who knows, maybe this wasn't a complete loss. You got a pretty cute outfit out of this so the tests weren't a complete waste of time, at least. Just...looking for the silver lining here.

Picking everything up from the box, you head into the side bathroom to change and John--as he had stated previously--proceeds to dive nearly head first into the empty box to find the manual. One could only wish him luck on his perilous endeavor to locate the sacred tome to your new armor. Now, your restroom was about as small as your bedroom. A shower stall and no bathtub in sight, a sink with a mirror that also acted as a medicine cabinet like most bathrooms seemed to have and a toilet, because this was a bathroom and if there was no toilet, HR would be getting a hell of a lot of emails from the staff. Other than the main things, nothing else stood out, except for the little bathroom rug you got from your parents during your most recent birthday. You never asked for new tech or weapons, which you usually mentioned to people in passing, because weapon manufacturing magazines were your kryptonite, and instead asked them to get you decorations for your bedroom should they get you gifts at all. If not, you would still love spending time with them in the end.

Baffled by your request, they went along with it and got you what they could and you thanked them wholeheartedly. John even helped out, getting you a lamp even though he called you boring, smiling all the while. Regardless, this didn't stop your weapon loving papa from getting you an actual good gift instead of things you needed. And out of all the gifts you've gotten over the years, he probably gave you the best one of all time.

It was called the Amigo Sincero, a sniper rifle designed by the Jakobs Corporation. This gun was so rare that it was only made for one person in the galaxy. You heard that it was a vault hunter with a pet about as ruthless as its master. Made you wonder how the man even managed to get such an amazing sniper rifle from Jakobs in the first place, but vault hunters were known to help for lots of cash. Maybe the payout was the rifle. Regardless, this gun was extraordinary. It had phenomenal sights and was capable of tearing through shields and cause damage so lethal it was said to make a person's head explode with a clean enough shot. Granted, most sniper rifles did that, but you know it's good when it causes that kind of result. And thanks to your family being long time friends with the Jakobs, you were able to have a model of your very own. Your papa even said this was the very last one of the two in all the universe, so it was best to keep it close and never let it go. You had agreed wholeheartedly. It currently resided deep within your closet, just waiting until the day you would need to use it.

 _Who knows how long that'll be_. You couldn't help but snicker at the thought. Nothing bad ever happened at this part of the galaxy and even if it did, you doubted that you would need to do anything. Security was pretty decent around here, unlike other Hyperion bases, which seemed to get ransacked by bandits every now and again. You won't question how they managed to figure out how to build a rocket powerful enough to make it to one of the bases, but you'll count yourself lucky that they never made it to this one.

Quickly changing into the new attire, you tested the elasticity with a few stretches and marveled over how well it fit and even over the material of the outfit. It felt more durable than most clothes. Stronger and heavily put together, in fact. Was this something new they made up or were you right on the money about this being an under suit for the initial armor they would need to send in? You couldn't really say since you didn't work in R&D, but you could make some well thought out guesses.

A knock soon came from the door behind you. It was locked, right? You made sure of that? "So hey, that work out gear...that's the actual suit." John pointed out, though he still sounded just as doubtful as before. "Apparently there's an activation phrase that makes the whole thing appear. Kinda wonder if the change is more Wonder Woman and less Magical Girl." 

"I swear to god I will end you, John."

"Not from in there you're not. Now, since this is your suit, it'll only be activated with your voice alone, along with some DNA scans here or there. Don't know how that'll work, but repeat after me. Queen Bee."

"That's it?" you asked. "Just two words?" You could hear him flipping through the pages, probably two or three of them, meaning it was not a big manual. "Uhh, yeah? I dunno, you know these R&D guys are a bunch of wackos who have never seen natural light before. Wouldn't surprise me if this was all they managed to think of. If it were me, the activation phrase wouldn't be this simple or boring."

"No, it would either be over the top or super dirty."

"But you would say it, right?"

"Ugh, you are just impossible."

"You still love me, admit it." You chose not to focus on the man and instead returned to the real issue at hand. Here goes nothing.

"Queen Bee." The start up was instantaneous. The way the material just seemed to stretch itself and harden was nothing short of awe inspiring. From top to bottom, you watched as your suit came to be. Digistruct technology also seemed to come into play as a tiara was placed onto your head with a single glowing diamond at the center. Some round, white sunglasses were next, though the lenses were different than most. They were of a dark orange shade, but they seemed to light up from your end, detailing information from whatever your eyes happened to land on. The glasses sort of reminded you of a bees eyes, in a way, so it wouldn't surprise you if R&D detailed distinctively just for kicks.

Next came the top and that one really baffled you. It changed into a fluffy yellow fur coat with a black and yellow striped shirt underneath. The coat was surprisingly heavy, but with a scan of the glasses, you found out why. It was possibly the most advanced bulletproof vest you had ever seen Hyperion create. Wonder if they would market more of these sometime soon. The gloves seemed to remain as they were, but your left wrist now had a slimmer, definitely more advanced ECHO band. Just how much money was dished out for this project?

The first thing you did was turn it on upon finding it. Maybe it would tell you more about your suit than the manual. Sadly, it only had two options. You would need to sync up your glasses with the wristband if you wanted to do anything more with it, but the first thing you noticed was the only button on the holographic screen that was active. SUMMON WORKER was all it read, and you would have tried to read the other two also on the list, but they were blurred out. Seems you would need to update the suit later on if you ever wanted to try them out.

Deciding to test it, you pressed the button and watched as your palm lit up in a bright, blue-green light. Holding it up, a bee drone was digistructed onto it and looked up at you in earnest, it's wings fluttering almost as if in excitement. Could robots feel emotions? This one sure did with how it looked at you like you hung the moon and stars in the sky.

"A worker bee...I get it. These guys really think they're funny, huh?" The drone--which you have decided to dub Spike like the little bee character you saw in a cartoon once--tilted his head and flew over to the sink, probably to observe you as you tried to figure the suit out. He could be sweet and give you tips, but sadly the thing about bees was that they couldn't talk, even this robotic one. Maybe one of his brothers is more willing to share. You tried to someone one to check, but nothing happened. Finding out why wasn't that difficult. Seems the buttons came with a cooldown mechanic. Wouldn't surprise you in the slightest. Digistruct technology was powerful and it took quite a bit of energy just to teleport one solid object from one place to another. The test runs when they first tried it on people was one everybody in the galaxy could remember. It didn't really end well and only half of him made it to the predestined location. It was a highly reviewed subject and though it had a gruesome ending, that didn't stop them from continuing with the idea. And that's how Dahl got these devices in the first place, because they were incredibly stubborn and they couldn't go through the hassle of recruiting more soldiers. Better to just revive them with the New-U's.

The last of the armor were the legs and these at least looked like what you had expected. They kind of reminded you of armor knights wore, but only the lower half was metal and they clung to your legs like boot heels, which they resembled in their own bright golden light. They didn't snag or drag against each other in an annoying manner and seemed to move and bend remarkably no matter which way you stretched your legs. These were pretty amazing metal boots.

This all was...different and new, but you weren't disappointed. In fact, you felt a sort of adrenaline rush that hadn't run through your veins in ages. This was definitely going to be a strange change in your life, although that didn't mean you weren't looking forward to it. This could be fun.

"Hey, you're not dead in there, are you?" Right, John was still out there waiting on you. Better head out and make sure he doesn't find a way to break the door down again. First time was when he was super drunk and he thought you were drowning during your shower...you've never owned a tub, so why he even thought that is what you will never understand. Then again, John never really did listen to reason when he was wasted, so you can't blame him too much for his drunken habits. You blame yourself mostly for not preparing for them. Honestly, the man would assume something was going on thanks to whatever story he made up in his head and try to solve it. At least he wasn't an angry drunk. This one did make others angry. The black eye you gave him sure proved that. He wasn't even mad about it, just said he wasn't surprised and that it was the right thing to do at the time. Walking in on a lady during her shower wasn't okay and he knew that. Seems he did have gentlemanly qualities somewhere in there.

Holding out your hand, you let Spike fly onto it and watched as you finally went to show yourself off to your friend. It wasn't really showing off so much as holding out your arms and letting out a weak "Ta-da!" in the process. John wouldn't admit it aloud, but this would be the third time he's ever become speechless. The last moments he recalls being like this were during his wedding day when he saw his first wife walk down the aisle towards him and the second time with the birth of his daughter. He couldn't explain why he was awestruck over your visage, but he knew somewhere deep down that he liked it. He liked it a whole lot.

After a while, his staring got to get too unsettling, so you finally decided to speak up. "John? Come back to me, buddy." There was a blink. Guess we could call that progress.

"Um aggghhh...Wha--?" came his garbled response, if you could even call it that. Oh John.

"You with me? Kinda worried you hate the suit now."

That seems to do the trick and he startles back awake. "No! No, no, no, I don't hate it. Just--my god, princess...you're stunning! You look like the baddest bitch on this entire station and I've seen some who've tried and failed. You are nailing it." Spike buzzed angrily. Either he didn't appreciate you being called the "B" word or he remembered John and his drone murdering ways. John raised his hands in surrender, glaring just a bit in return. "Easy, ya little larvae, I meant it as a compliment. Being a bad bitch is eye catching at Hyperion. It will get her places." Turning to you, he smirked. "And I plan to help her on the way."

You snort. He's been saying that a lot lately. What could be brewing in that big brain of his? "So you say, but how exactly do you plan on doing that? I might have moved up as Tassiter's bodyguard, but I doubt I'll be reaching higher after this. Besides, I don't want to test my luck."

He nods in understanding, but did his smirk widen? It did, didn't it or were you just seeing things? "I can't divulge everything yet, but I am in the process of making things great for everyone. You'll find out soon enough. For now, why don't we take your new suit to the training area and give her a spin?" Deciding now was as good a time as any to try it, you nod and follow him out. Guess this was it, then. Time for a new start.

Making it up to Tassiter's office was the equivalent of walking towards the gallows. Half the time when an employee made it up here, it was to deliver something to him or to be fired on the spot. There was nothing else--you know, until you came along, that is. The training with John went really well, you thought. You could easily run in your new gear and thanks to him throwing a live grenade at you, you found out you could fly. Seems the symbol on your back was able to construct wings for you. They looked so breakable and thin, but a few bullets only seem to scratch them. They could be torn apart, however. They had a decent recharge, at least, so you would need to make sure to use the wings wisely.

And as it would appear, your crown also held a secret. Turns out it was a weapon that could shoot lasers from the diamond at its center. Seems it was more than just a shiny, glamorous gem for people to look over in awe. This weapon had a longer cooldown rate compared to your wristband and your wings. The laser was definitely a one-time only deal, considering how powerful the beam itself was. It actually blew a hole in the wall of the training room you both were using. This weapon was best against stronger opponents or large mobs of them. Other than that, the rest of it all came down to you and how fast you were with your guns, and as great as you were with them, hand to hand combat was another issue. At least John was nice enough to teach you how to properly punch someone enough to break their nose.

The ding from the elevator was a hell of a wake up call. Stepping out, you make your way forward until you're suddenly in a work space for CL4P-TP units. All of them were on keyboards, either actually typing away at a few reports or playing Galiga just because they felt like it. A lot of these robots got easily distracted by things, but thanks to being friends with John for so long, you were kinda used to it by now. One actually turned to wave at you and you returned it with a smile. You personally had no ill will against the bots. They always amused you and the few you have interacted with were the sweetest, always wanting to help out when they were able to, granted they never seemed to complete the task just right...or made it worse in the process. Still, you adored these lovable knuckleheads.

"Hello, miss! I am a T3MP-TP model Claptrap unit, but you can call me Temp for short!" Greeted a light red Claptrap unit. His energy just brought out a big smile from you and you couldn't help but shake his extended hand? Claw? This seemed to take him completely by surprise. "Wow! You are the first person to actually touch me and not because you did it by accident! Are you mentally ill in any way?" He sounded so sincere in his question. Nearly forgot how much most of the universe hated these poor little guys. You couldn't understand it, but your heart went out to them.

"I'm not, actually. Just thought it would be polite to shake your hand considering you were the first one to greet me. My name is (Y/n) and I believe I have a meeting with Mr. Tassiter?"

"Oh, you're _THAT_ (Y/n)! Yeah, he's just in his office back there, but I'll let him know you've arrived. Why don't you have a seat in the waiting room? It'll be just past the next row of office stalls and then to the right. I'll come get you when he's ready."

"Thank you, Temp." That's probably the first time anyone's said thank you to him since his activation (which it was). Watching you go, Temp rolled on over to the office, but not without telling his other fellow worker bots about the nice human he just met who's now in the waiting room. This could only end well.

The waiting room was about as simple and boring as you expected it to be. A good couple rows of chairs, two TV's displaying all of Hyperion's "good" qualities and a table with a bowl of peppermints and some tissues. You only grabbed one mint on the way and took your seat. Might as well get through some messages now that you had some extra time to spend to yourself. Besides, John tends to blow up your inbox when you ignore him for far too long. You aren't proud of how long it took for you to notice that you weren't alone in the waiting room anymore. Chancing a glance up, you nearly jump out of your skin at the sight of all the Claptraps surrounding you. They were just staring. Was there something on your face or have you somehow offended them?

A deep blue Claptrap built up the courage to roll up to you, a piece of paper in his claw that you couldn't quite see. He held it up for you to get a better look and you realized that it was a drawing. It was child-like in design, but you would admit that it was cute as all get out. It was a picture of the Claptrap holding the hand of a very angry, sharp toothed Tassiter. The two were under sunshine, clouds and raindows with colorful flowers around their feet. You had to show this to John.

"I drew this for mister Tassiter, but he told me to burn it. He called it ugly. Do you think it's ugly?" You couldn't even begin to say yes if you tried, especially when he sounded so insecure and sad.

"No, I don't. I think this drawing is worthy of its own frame." His one eye lit up. How precious~!

"Really? You think?" The other Claptraps murmured behind it. You couldn't hear what they were saying, but it didn't sound malicious.

"I know it does, honey. You put a lot of care into it and anyone with eyeballs should see that. I think it's perfect just the way it is." Offering a smile and a gentle pat on top of its head, that seemed to finally make all the other bots around you two to quiet down. It actually made it so quiet that you shifted in your seat from the now awkward atmosphere. It took only a few minutes for them to finally bounce back with a whole new burst of energy, chattering and crowding you enough to lift your legs up onto the chair you were sitting in.

"Hey, hey, I made a mixtape the other day! Wanna listen to it?"

"No, no, you gotta see my new dance move! You'll burst into tears from its utter magnificence."

"Don't listen to that toaster! Why not listen to my awesome beatboxing instead? I'll have you know that I'm the best on this entire space station."

"No you aren't, you liar!"

"Shut up!"

"Hey, nice lady, look over here!"

"No, over here, nice lady!"

"Nice lady!"

"Nice lady!!"

Each one waved and even hopped towards you with the intent of getting your attention. In a way, you were kinda flattered that they called you a nice lady. Not saying you weren't, but it's nice to hear every once in a while. Temp finally returned and pushed his way through the crowd.

"All right, you buckets of bolts, that's enough! Give the poor human some air, would ya? She's a queen!" Ah, seems Tassiter let that little bit slip.

"Oooooohhh."

"And since the nice lady is a queen, we as her loyal subjects shall treat her with the respect she so rightfully deserves!"

"Yeah!"

"Agreed!"

"R-E-S-P-E-C-T, FIND OUT WHAT IT MEANS TO ME--!"

"Exactly, my thick headed comrades! So once her meeting with the president is over, we shall show our gratitude to her...with interpretive dance!" POP! POP! Where was the confetti coming from? All of the Claptraps cheered in agreement and went off to their desks to discuss how to dazzle you with their moves. That was all the time Temp needed to take your hand and guide you to Tassiter's office. Gotta say, this wasn't the strangest thing that's happened to you. You would have to give that honor to your Uncle Wainwright who slid down the back of a Tyrant Flintstones style. That was the best. "Sorry about the other worker bots. It's not everyday we meet someone who treats us Claptraps with actual kindness. Most of the time we're kicked around and called idiots." You could never imagine how anyone can say that in such a positive tone. "But you're different! You don't call us mean names and you actually don't mind touching us, which seemed to disgust a ton of people before you showed up. This is a nice change of pace!" Making it up to the large double doors, Temp quickly stops you from entering. "And before you go...will you come back to see us again sometime?" Ugghh, how are they so cute?

Kneeling down to meet his gaze, you offer up a smile. "I promise I'll come up and see you guys when I can. Besides, I work with Mr. Tassiter at the moment, so expect to see a lot of me anyways." Temp seemed to accept that response and left you to return to his own duties. It was hard to see him go, but you had to face this next part head on. "Okay, deep breath. You'll be fine in there." Stepping inside was like walking into the underworld. The man glaring over at you from his seat wasn't exactly helping, either.

"Are you the new bodyguard I specifically asked the R&D department to prepare for me?" Tassiter asked in that clipped tone of his. Always a tyrant and nothing more.

"They made me a suit to help better protect you, if that's what you mean. I'm (Y/n) (L/n), sir. I hope to keep you safe for as long as I am able to." Something about what you said seemed to surprise him.

"(Y/n) (L/n)? As in the same (Y/n) who's close friends with that meddlesome code monkey, John?"

That didn't sound any good. "If I said yes, will that get me kicked out of this office?"

"Do you _want_ to be kicked out of my office?"

"Not really, sir."

"Then you have nothing to worry about. Just because you make poor decisions when it comes to your friendships doesn't mean I'll up and kick you out, not when your test results during the prototype run were as exemplary as they were. I'd be a fool to throw out your potential, considering out of all the applicants you were the only one who met all the standards for becoming my personal bodyguard." That and you were the only one who actually managed to survive, but you would be stupid to mention this aloud.

"Thank you, sir."

"Now don't thank me yet, Miss (L/n). You still have a lot to prove if you want this position to be permanent. I'm not as easily impressed, regardless of your statistics." Everyone knew that, but you kept your smart mouth shut as difficult as that was. He made it so easy to bad mouth. "I'm going to be heading out to meet with the Board of Directors today, but at the same time, someone has placed a hit out on me--"

"WHAT?!"

"Let me finish, (L/n)," Tassiter practically snarled. "Let that be the last time you interrupt me, but yes, I received a death threat only two days ago. The imbecile even explained his plan in great detail to gloat, but all he really did was sell himself out. I'm going to continue on with my day, but I want you to go and take out the killer without me realizing you had even managed the task. You must be more than a bodyguard; you must become Hyperion's bad omen. I want your name to be feared in all corners of the universe, do you understand?"

"I--"

"If you are to be my bodyguard and the protector of all of Hyperion's secrets, you must set an example for this company. In order to do that, you must become a living nightmare of a hit woman to all of our enemies, both bandit and company related. I'm tired of other businesses thinking they can try to walk all over us, so I'm going to make sure they never try again. You are going to make sure they get that message loud and clear. Your enemy has already set the stage, you just need to execute your talents. Once you are finished, you will keep the job and be rewarded handsomely for taking out the offender. Any questions before I send you out to suit up and prepare?"

You weren't even sure there was anything to ask what with your brain trying to process the overload of information given to you. A bad omen? A living grim reaper in the making to all who opposed you. That...honestly sounded pretty cool. This way you could go above and beyond even your wildest expectations when it came to your future. You would be something more than just some accountant like you've always wanted. This was promising; very, very promising. Clenching your fists close to your sides, you sent Tassiter a confident shake of the head and grin.

"Nope. None whatsoever, sir."

"Then you know what to do?"

"Take out the target without disrupting your day."

He smirked. "Very good. Now go and prepare yourself. You'll be meeting with me over at the Hall of Heroes just before I have to attend my meeting with the Board. You're dismissed." You didn't stick around and test his patience. Risking it now wouldn't be the best thing to do at the moment.

You wave farewell to the Claptraps, saddened you had to explain that you had an important mission and couldn't sit through and witness their interpretive dance (although, you did promise to see it another time, which they were overjoyed about), and took the elevator back down to the main floor. You were definitely not expecting to see John when the doors opened.

"John?! What are you doing here? I thought you were busy with that super secret project of yours?"

"It's still going according to plan, don't you worry your pretty little head about it," he shrugged. "Besides, I was on my break and since I was in the neighborhood, I decided to come by and see how you were doing." Ah, there it was. You can easily smell the bullshit coming from your best friend's general direction.

Stepping out of the elevator and to the nearest Fast Travel station, you scoff at John's choice of words. Look at him trying to be aloof about it too, what a dork. "Whatever, man. You just wanted me to lose the position with Tassiter like you've been hoping for all day yesterday."

He gasps. "What? I would _never_ want you to fail on your path to glory, (Y/n), you know that. I just think you could find it without that bastard's help."

"John, that bastard is our boss and he's the best bet I've got. Now, if you don't mind, I need to get 'ol Jezebel out and cleaned up for my mission." You were just about to enter the coordinates into the Fast Travel, but before you could press Enter, John moves your hand away from the holoscreen, causing it to pause and timeout after just a few seconds go by. Damn it, you hate it when machines do that. It's so freaking annoying.

"Mission?" he practically demanded an answer rather than ask for one. "What mission? And why do you need your best rifle for it?" Why did he have to sound so worried? You can handle yourself just fine. Pretty sure that was proven when you passed the prototype run a few weeks ago. Hell, he was there, he knew how all of that went!

"I can't tell you. It's kind of classified and if news got out about it, I would fail immediately. 'sides, knowing you and your heroism, you would just want to try and save the day again."

"You know, most people would consider that a good thing," he points out, looking mildly offended.

"And usually it is, but I need to do this on my own."

"That's stupid! Just take me with you and we can tackle this thing together like we always do."

"No, John."

"Fucking--why the hell not?!"

"BECAUSE I CAN'T RELY ON YOU TO SOLVE EVERY LITTLE THING FOR ME!!" The silence was deafening. You both hated when moments between you got like this, but despite the startled look on his face, this part had to be said. "I can't keep this up, John."

Something in him seemed to plummet down into his gut. You weren't ditching him...were you? No, you two were the best of pals, you wouldn't just abandon him now when he needed you most. You wouldn't abandon him too, not like everyone else. You were not like everyone else. Not you. Not ** _YOU_**. Anyone else on this crummy station but you!

"(Y/n)...?"

You could see it in those heterochromia eyes; the fear, confusion and heartache that he was holding back. He had been hurt for so long, but you still refused to hurt him like everyone else had in the past. Not to a guy like John, who has been there since you both were hired into Hyperion in the first place. Catching your breath after shouting your heart out, you took a step up to him, holding back a wince when he took a hesitant step back from your approach. Cupping his cheek, you looked him dead in the eyes. He needed to remember that you were still here.

"I'm not leaving you. We're stuck together like glue now, remember? I just need to handle things on my own, because should something happen to you or someone else I care about, I want to be able to fight back and protect you guys. Throughout our entire friendship, you have come to my rescue and as much as I appreciate your kindness, I need to do this on my own. Let me get stronger and when the time is right, we can face the entire galaxy and the next together like we've always done. Okay?" Despite everything, you knew deep down that you still needed him with you on this endeavor through your lit powder keg of a life. The two of you were each others rocks in this company and neither of you wanted to find out what would happen if one was without the other.

You might have felt your heart leap up into your throat when you realized he was nuzzling into the palm of your hand, but you refuse to believe it meant anything. He probably just appreciated the affectionate gesture. Although, the blush happened when he kissed it. Yeah, can't think of an excuse for that one, it just boggled your mind a bit.

"You are such a cheesy little nerd." And just like that it was all gone. Still, at least the man was smiling again. "Thanks, though. I thought...well--"

"It's fine, John," you reassured. "You just wanted to help. Tell you what, after this we can go and grab a bite to eat. My treat this time." It takes a moment, but you see him come back to his usual cocky self, smirk and all.

"I mean I guess," he grunts with a roll of the eyes. "But after that, I feel like I could go for a few drinks. Definitely feel like going for the expensive stuff this time around." He snickers when you nudge him. Going back to the Fast Travel, you try to use it again.

"Whatever you say, John. I'll see you later." And like that, you were gone. Now, he knew he could easily chase after you, follow you and make sure everything turned out alright with whatever this mission was. Maybe even finish it for you and give you all the credit, but before he could even go through with any of these ideas, he heard a call from the earpiece he had been wearing and suddenly everything was serious business again.

"Are you ever going to tell her about the Vault, Jack?" a kind voice asked. Much as he wanted to, you weren't ready for the truth yet.

"Not right now. There's still a lot of preparations we have to make before then. Have there been any updates lately while I was away?"

"The Vault Hunters have just retrieved the second piece of the Vault key and are on their way to the third. The Crimson Lance are starting to throw as much as they can at them to get their hands on the pieces."

"Of course they are. Just help them as best as you can, Angel. I'll be back in my office in just a few more minutes."

"And what are you going to do until then, Jack?"

"What I do best, sweetheart. Meddle in other people's business~" Yeah, he had ears everywhere in this dumpster fire of a space station. Screw you, Tassiter.

You were all geared up and ready to go. The people you walked past either seemed to back away in surprise or marvel over your figure as you went. The armor was state of the art, so both reactions were expected. You looked like a model about to take on the world, and the sniper rifle on your back definitely meant business. Anyone would be a fool to end up facing its barrel.

You would find Tassiter sitting at a table all alone, guards at every corner of the Hall of Heroes with only basic pistols or SMG's. One even had a shotgun, so you guessed that was the Captain of this crew of misfits. You take your seat across from him and watch as he takes a sip from his coffee.

"About time, Agent QB. I was beginning to think you were having seconds thoughts."

"Agent QB, sir?" you ask in a hushed tone.

"A codename. When you're in the outfit, that is what I shall call you. I had to pull a lot of strings just to keep your identity a secret. If anyone were to find out, they would try to come down to your quarters and kill you while you slept. Would be a shame to lose an asset in such a loathsome manner, not to mention the costs of reseting the entire project." Of course he only cared about the equipment, funding and NOT you. Typical of the President of Hyperion. "Now shall we move on to the matter at hand or must I keep explaining things to you like some elementary school teacher would his student?"

Bite your tongue, (Y/n). You'll get through this one way or another. "No, sir. Please proceed."

"It's about time." Putting his coffee aside, he reaches down and lifts up his suitcase. He pops it open, digs around inside and pulls out a manila folder with Confidential printed in red on the front. He slides it over and you take it to examine the contents inside while Tassiter puts his suitcase away again. "His name is Connor Conway. Ridiculous name, I know, but that's who he is. The man was demoted last week and has sought to kill me as a result of it. He believes that killing me would make him the new President of Hyperion."

"Wouldn't it?"

"Yes, but to lose my life to a lowlife like that? Please, I have some standards. I want you to find him and kill him. There's a chance he hired some of his friends to take me out should anything happen to him, so they'll need to be taken out as well. That's a total of five targets in all. Think you can manage until my meeting is finished?" You had read over everything you could when he was talking, but you got the gist of the mission. Find Connor, kill him and his friends, get paid. Done and done.

"I'll be fine, sir. No need to worry about me."

"I'm not. I'm more worried about this meeting going to shit because you failed in your task. We don't need distractions up there, Agent, so make sure that doesn't happen." Right, cold as ice. You need to stop forgetting he's like this.

Tassiter stood and gathered up his things when he felt the conversation was coming to an end. Guess you should as well. "Everything you need to know about your targets are in that file. I'll be heading up to the meeting now. Do not disappoint me. Meet me by the elevators once the matter is settled."

"Yes, sir."

"That will be all, Agent." With just a snap of the fingers, every single security guard followed Tassiter out of the giant room and you were left alone with a file in your hand. Using digistruct tech in your gloves, you stored the information away and went to find your first target. While Connor was the main target, your maps showed that all of the other targets seemed to collectively gather around one spot in the entire space station. It was a bar area, but there was a spot behind it that no one else seemed to know about. Probably an abandoned area during the construction of this place. It happens every now and again. This area was probably where they all had come together to plan the hit. You would look there first, gather as much clues as you could and move from there.

Just as you make your move, you're completely unaware of the camera following you as you went to take on your first task as a hit woman. The young woman on the other side of that camera watched with a sigh, recalling the days when you would pick her up and she would call you her auntie. All she can do is watch, hoping you wouldn't get hurt along the way.

With the help of your new wings, staying out of sight was a breeze and it didn't take you hours just to make it to your destination like walking would have. It took a bit of scanning with your glasses to find the secret entrance, but when you did, you kicked the grate open and crawled through to make it to the other side. It was a barely lit room with an old abandoned ship at its center. It lacked a few parts here and there, so it couldn't be used as a possible escape vessel anytime soon. To your right was where the light seemed to be coming from. An entire table with a cork board filled to the brim with pictures of Tassiter and news about him covered the thing. You would have been creeped out originally, but this new persona really helped you see things from a clearer perspective. These men wanted to kill your boss. Plain and simple.

There had been a few things left behind. Someone had been in a rush from what the scatter told. You picked up a few bullets from boxes and even picked up an abandoned ECHO log, listening to it in hopes it would shed some light on where all of these men were hiding. From what you heard, seems two of them went off together to keep an eye out on the window of the board room. Probably snipers. They would need to be found first. The third and fourth split up, but seemed to have the same jobs. One was to plant a bomb in Tassiter's office and the other in Tassiter's room. And finally, Connor would be hiding in a secret room on the station relaying the information to everyone. He said he could see everything going on, so more than likely he was somewhere with access to the security cameras. Much as you wanted to take him out first, you would need to go through the other issues first.

You chose to go for the snipers. They would have a better view of Tassiter and these guys would be a distraction. You needed to take them out without being noticed in the process. Taking a picture of the space and logging the location of the area for guards to inspect later on, you left and went on your way to where the snipers would be located.

The new suit came with a lot of perks, not only with weapons and gadgets, but with clearance access to certain places of the station. Usually common workers weren't allowed up to the meeting section of the place unless they had access from another person who had better clearance, but since you were an enigma and hit woman, you had access to almost everything. All it took was a flash of the symbol on your back and a guard immediately shut up about whatever bad mouthing tirade they were in the middle of. It was great!

Now the board members were all on the highest floor of this section of the space station, meaning the snipers had to be a good distance away from the windows, but also just as high for them to see everyone inside. Their target was your boss, so you would need to fly up there and try to get a good view of them without being spotted and shot down. You decided to summon up Spike for this one. With his tiny stature compared to most of the bee drones, there was no doubt in your mind that he would be capable of killing these guys without anyone noticing he had ever been there. The drone appeared in your palm and seemed ecstatic to see you again, wiggling his little drone bum like a dog would with its tail. You snickered and even gave the robot a pet on the head. "Hey, Spike. It's good to see you too. Say, how would you feel about doing a little favor for me?" That seemed to catch his attention. "There are two very bad men here who want to kill my boss and I can't be spotted by these guys or the mission will be over. Think you can go way up there, find both snipers and take them both out?"

The drone didn't even hesitate, just flew up from your hand and hovered, watching you as if waiting for your order. You had a smirk on your face that could easily match John's.

"Go on, then! Do whatever is necessary to get them taken out and come back to me when they are good and dead!" And he was off, buzzing right into the air and all the way up. With his advanced sensors, he was easily capable of looking into the rooms and finding the board members inside. They weren't the targets, though. From what he gathered on his Queen's glasses, which had scanned the file from earlier, the two men he was looking for would be somewhere around the room. He spotted the first one to his right already watching Tassiter through the scope of his rifle. He was so focused that he hadn't even noticed Spike come flying over with his stinger at the ready.

Three....Two....One! The plunge into the guys neck was swift after removing himself, Spike was proud to see that he had hit a major artery. The man would be dead in seconds with the amount that was already pouring out of him. Now to find the second one. Dripping blood from his stinger, Spike flew off in search for the second man. He was able to find him across the way, but he was still setting up. The drone would easily be spotted up in the air at this rate, so he landed on a wall and crawled his way up to the second target. He had to keep himself up on the ceiling of the platform and sneak up behind the hitman until he found a decent hiding place in the shadows. Now...to time this just right.

Just as the man finished setting up and took a look through his scope, Spike took his chance and flew up fast, stabbing the guy in the back of the neck and severing the brain's access to the rest of the body. The man fell swiftly.

You were still waiting at the bottom when you noticed Spike fly down towards you. He was covered in blood, but that could be fixed later. "Take it you handled the situation with finesse?" That earned a single buzz in response and you cooed. "That's my boy~" Spike was over the moon from your pets. With that matter settled, you had him digistruct away. You would call on him later if you needed him, but now you had to find the bombers. This would be a new issue for you entirely. One in Tassiter's office and one in his bedroom. You didn't exactly know how to disarm bombs, so this would be an interesting challenge.

Tassiter's office would be the best bet for you on the next target. No doubt your boss would head there first the moment everything was settled at the meeting and you didn't want him going up in smoke just as he takes a seat in his overly expensive chair. This one would be a bit more challenging since the Claptraps from earlier knew about you being the Queen Bee and still wanted you to see their dance. They would either try to distract you with it or alert the guy in the process and you wanted neither of those things to happen. With two of his men dead, you also wouldn't be surprised if Connor knew and told his goons what was going on. They would be on high alert now anyways and the Claptraps would be of little help. You would need to get them all out of there and slip in while each one of them was distracted. A number of things could easily distract a Claptrap, but this had to be something good. Damn, how were you going to do this?

Just as you were about to head back up to Tassiter's office now, you noticed someone coming down the elevator and quickly dove to the side to hide behind a bush. One by one, Claptrap after Claptrap from upstairs left as if they were going on break. Did anyone even give these guys breaks? Even Temp was leaving. Did the bomber tell them to leave? If that were the case, they would have left screaming. As odd as this situation was, you wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. You rushed into the elevator and let the doors close behind you as it returned back up to where it was before. The camera in the elevator zoomed in on your face and the young woman giggled. If you knew, you probably would have thanked her for that one issue from earlier. Claptraps could be a handful and they didn't have to try too hard to do that. You were too kind a soul to do anything about it, though. She always knew you were.

It was eerily quiet when you made it back to the top floor. You recall the sound of the Claptraps talking excitedly to each other and typing away at their computers, but now there was nothing, just silence. Taking a look over at Tassiter's office doors, you reached up to your glasses and turned on the heat seeking tech within them. You guessed that if your drones had them, then so should you. The man was definitely in there, setting the explosive just underneath Tassiter's desk. You had to sneak in and take him out from there. Pulling your rifle off your back, you loaded her up and slowly crept up to the doors. You opened one, stepped in and quietly stepped around the man. Luckily, his back was turned to you, so making sure to take aim, you took your shot and hit him square in the back of the head. Just like the last three, he went down without a hassle. The blood was really starting to get to you, though. You would need to call in cleaner bots to take care of all three corpses before Tassiter was called about a mess.

The bomb was still in the process of being set up, thankfully, so you wouldn't need to cut any wires just to disarm it. All you did was shut it off and it was useless. You still returned to the main lobby with it and found the nearest guard to hand it off to. He promised to send you any information they could dig up about the explosives, since there was still one out there that you had failed to mention to the guy. Better he didn't know about it anyways.

Now, this next one wasn't as difficult, but probably just as awkward. Tassiter didn't have living quarters that was near anyone else. As President, he was allowed to live in the best room of the station and no one but him would have access to said room unless he gave them personal clearance. It wouldn't surprise you if these men bribed a hacker in the building to get through the access panel to Tassiter's room. It wouldn't have been John to give them this access, but anyone else would be just as willing.

The trek there was longer than you liked. You had called the cleaners on the way and they had at least cleaned up the last three messes. The board meeting would end in just thirty more minutes, so you had to be quick about these next two hits. With Connor always watching, you had a feeling he was already trying to plan his escape. You could probably have security keep an eye out on all the escape pods, but there was a vast amount of them and if your hunch was wrong and the bastard went for Tassiter himself, it would just be left to you to defend the guy and you were way too far to do anything right now. Damn it, how did this all become so difficult?

Tassiter's room was pretty basic. Hardly any decorations other than a few framed accomplishments of his, a massive bed, adjoining bathroom on the side and a kitchen in another section with its own living room on the other side of the island counter. This definitely came from the expenses of Hyperion workers, but you wouldn't think too much about that. Looks like the bomber wasn't in the bedroom, so that means he's somewhere else. Heat seeking was still on, so you ended up finding him in the one place you really hated him deciding to plant a bomb in.

The bathroom was massive for two people to walk into, but walking through the only door in there was risky. The man would easily see you coming. What could you possibly use to distract him? Checking through your equipment, you went into your arsenal of explosives you packed up from earlier and found one that would stun the guy. All you needed was a chance to get him frozen on the spot and you would take him out. Choosing it, you watched it digistruct into your hand, pulled the pin and tossed it into the bathroom.

You dove right in once it went off and before he could even attempt to pull out his gun, you shot him through the head just like the last man. Four down, one to go. Sadly, that just left the last explosive and it was set to go off sometime around ten. That's even if Tassiter was going to use the restroom at this time, but the explosive could still be strong enough to cause serious damage. At least that one guard came through for you and sent you the details on the explosive, but that doesn't mean deactivating it wasn't nerve-wracking. With the explosive no longer an issue, it was time for you to send it back and go. Leaving as quickly as possible, you headed down to where you were certain Connor was hiding. The cleaner bots would take care of the blood and body and once this was finished, you could find Tassiter, let him know everything was handled and go and get some great food with John from Earl's. It was the kind of place you could get a good meal at a good price and most of the options were indeed delicious. John liked the place for its alcohol choices.

You had called every security room on the station about witnessing strange oddities in the system and so far nothing was wrong, but one of the security rooms had gone quiet. If you had to guess, that's where Connor was. This station only had four security rooms and for one to go dark is usually a red flag. Fast Traveling there was easy, but once you did it was...kind of bad. The man went on a rampage, killing most of the tech workers and security guards there. That means it was just you two alone here. God, even the Captain of this sections security was dead. Stabbed to death from what it looks like. You took his clearance card from the clip on his belt and headed on your way to the main terminal. There was a massive window on the side of the room and you were able to see what was going on inside. Seems Conway was still trying to get ahold of his men. For some odd reason, the cameras had gone dark. The power had been working fine on the way here so either it was a wiring issue or Connor turned the monitors off himself, but that wouldn't make sense. You just seemed to have a lot of luck on this mission.

You slowly walked in with your weapon aimed and he turned in a flash with his own pistol at the ready. He definitely had those crazy eyes going for him.

"Who the fuck are you?! You the one that's been foiling all my plans?!" he shrieked, the fear definitely laced within his voice. You couldn't help but snicker. This guy was hilarious.

"Not really that secretive of a plan considering everything you had about it was out in the open to begin with. Also, if you're going to threaten your boss, don't tell him everything you're going to do to him in your threatening letter. Any killer would know that. Better to build up to it~"

He snarled. "Screw you, bitch. The man's had it coming for years and me an' my guys knew that since day one of working at this crap hole! Always being walked all over and looked down on....I'm sick of it! And to be demoted to the mailroom, no less! Who the hell does Tassiter think he is?!"

"Better than you? Why do you think he's hired me to take all of you out? You've tried and you've failed, now either come with me quietly or I'll have you joining all your little friends."

"I would rather die than bow down to you and Tassiter again. I'll kill you here and then go and kill him next! You're both dead!"

Eh, guess you can't say you didn't warn him. You raised your hand and summoned Spike up again. No longer bloody, he hovered up at your side and charged up his laser. Connor didn't seem to expect that and just as he aimed at Spike, you took your chance and put your rifle away, deciding now to give your hand to hand combat a try. First thing you did was disarm the man. John had taught you that the first chance he could since you trained with him and you were glad he did. If it wasn't for him, you would probably be dead where you stood. Pistol flying across the room, Connor tried to kick you away, but you jumped back before he could, giving Spike room to shoot his laser at the would-be hitman.

It was enough to send him flying back into the wall. Jesus, the smell of burnt flesh was revolting, but you ignored it for the sake of finishing the mission. Picking up the pistol was your first priority and after checking it and making sure it was fully loaded, you came back over and cocked it, aiming the barrel right at Connor's head. He looked ready to say something, probably something cocky and offensive, but being as tired as you were with running around doing this one errand for Tassiter, you wouldn't hear any of it. You killed Conway right on the spot, finally finishing it.

Another call to the cleaner bot and you were on your way back to meet with Tassiter over at the meeting hall, but damn was the bot going to have its money cut out for it on this one, same with Hyperion who now needed to replace a whole batch of dead workers. You could already see the batch of newbies lining these halls, but you didn't much care about any of them. Besides, half the time you never noticed anyone was new to begin with. People were hired and fired from this place like it was clockwork. Still, it's always nice to make new friends.

It was only five minutes when Tassiter left his meeting. He found you on the side, like he had instructed and crossed his arms like some parent who was patiently waiting for his kid to hand over their report card.

"Well? Did you take care of it?"

"Yes. All targets have been terminated. You won't have to worry about anything for a long time, sir." You probably didn't have to sound like a robot there, but knowing the boss, this was the kind of attitude he preferred in a worker. Handing over a log of what you had done, he read it over and smirked.

"Very good, Agent, and nicely done with the clean up, though I am mildly annoyed that we'll have to hire in a new batch of guards to fill up the security department in sector three, but still it's no skin off my nose. I'll wire you the payment for this task to your ECHO band. I'll call you in the morning if I have anymore jobs for you to do, but until then let me congratulate you on a job well done and for successfully becoming my new bodyguard. I expect nothing but great things from you."

"Of course, sir. Thank you."

"Good. Now go. You're dismissed until I say otherwise." Another nod and you were off, somehow managing not to skip like a giddy schoolgirl on the way back to your quarters. You got the job!

"And then after all of that, Tassiter gives me the job and now I'm finally his new bodyguard! He trusts me with this!"

John laughed and slapped a hand to your shoulder, making sure not to shake you up too much since you had a drink in your hand. "That's great, princess! Way to go!" Sitting back, he took a sip of his own. A very expensive whiskey was what the man picked and it hardly surprised you in the slightest, but he seemed to be in a good mood just as much as you were, so you wouldn't say anything about it. "Though, I guess I shouldn't call you that anymore, huh? How does Queenie sound?" The both of you laughed.

"I honestly don't care. God, I'm just so glad to finally relax after all of that. It's not every day you have a gun pointed at you, ya know? I'm so used to Tyrants, but this was new." He stopped eating at the mention of that.

"Don't Jabbers use guns, though?"

"Not all the time. They sometimes like to throw exploding barrels at people and that does just as much damage...actually. I told this to you when we first met." He paused to think back to that memory and shrugged as he went back to his dinner.

"You know, I'm glad everything worked out for you, (Y/n). I really am...and I'm sorry for doubting you earlier. I just don't want to lose you to some loser who thinks he's tough shit all because he has one gun and a few friends to help him out. See, what you really want to do is get a lot of guns and a lot of guys with guns and then charge like there's no tomorrow." That gets a snort out of you. Typical John.

"...You know, while I was out there, a part of me did wonder what it would have been like if you were there too. You're not bad out in the field from what the records say...I think it'd be pretty fun if that happened, but I doubt I'll be going far being the boss' bodyguard. I'll basically be at his side no matter what, but it's whatever, I guess..." You could accept it so long as you got paid a lot. Maybe if you saved up enough, you could move out of your shabby spot on the station and move someplace better. Sure would make life better for you if you were able to actually have elbow and leg room. John mulled it over in his head as you went through your pasta and salad. He could tell you about his plan now and possibly ruin all the progress he was making with it or the news could go over well and you could end up joining him on his endeavor to make one insane planet decent enough to live on. This is a tough decision, but...you were his closest friend. You would definitely help him out with this, he just knew it.

"Say, (Y/n)--?" Before he could finish his sentence, you get a call on your ECHO band. You raise a finger and give him an apologetic look before answering the call. He could hear the boss' voice on the other end, asking you where you were. Seems like there was more work to be done. Hanging up, you sighed and grabbed your purse to pay the bill.

"I'm sorry about this, John. Tassiter needs me for some banquet thing later on tonight and I need to get myself ready. You gonna be fine here at the station until I get back?" He'll pretend those words didn't hurt.

"Yeah, yeah. Of course I'll be fine! I'm Handsome Jack, this is nothing, Queenie. Don't you worry about me. Go and be a heroine."

"Ugh, you know I hate that name, John."

"Well it might grow on you. Now go and have fun. I'll just save your leftovers and finish the rest of my drink."

Before leaving, you smile and give him a quick hug. "Thanks, John. I'll see you later!" Watching you go on without him was harder than he thought. This was...different. He wasn't sure he liked it. Still, this would pass just like everything else.

The trek back to his room was far too quiet for his liking. Usually you both would be walking back together, laughing over some joke or show or another and go on your separate ways from there. Now you were making a difference in your life and though he was just as successful, you both were in two completely different worlds. Stepping inside his apartment, he locks the door behind him and makes his way to the kitchen. He puts away both his and your leftovers in the fridge and heads to his office. Inside, he has multiple pictures of four Vault Hunters on a corkboard and footage playing and replaying events that had his blood racing. He wanted to be just like them. Going out there and finding lost treasures, saving people and getting all the glory with his friends. He wanted that so badly. He could easily picture it with you at his side. Still, it was too soon to go and do anything and he learned a long time ago that just going in without a proper team was a death sentence. Reviewing the footage again, it seemed like the vault hunters were getting closer to the last piece of the key. With it, they all could finally see what was inside the vault. Maybe there would be a secret weapon or the location to one. That would definitely come in handy for the next phase.

To his left, he glanced over the blueprint of another space station and sighed. This would be overlooking Pandora soon and as much as he hated the planet, it showed promise. John didn't even mind that the station was shaped like a giant H. All that mattered were the possibilities.

"Helios, huh? Not a bad name for it, Angel. Think you can pull some strings and see if we can get ourselves and (Y/n) transferred over there to "keep an eye" on its development?"

He could easily hear her mulling it over. She always hummed when she was thinking. "I'm sure I can with the right amount of access. For us to be moved to Helios, it wouldn't be that much trouble, but (Y/n) might be a different issue. She just became Tassiter's new guard, so to just abandon her post to guard all of Helios--"

"Look, can you just make it work or not. The plan hinges on her being there."

"All I'm saying is that we'll need to give Tassiter a good enough reason to send her off to the station to work with you, especially so last minute." She wasn't exactly wrong, and as proud as he was for her brilliance, he was only getting more and more annoyed with problems sprouting out of thin air. Okay Jack, think, think, think...Aha!

"Honey, while the vault hunters are resting on Pandora, I want you to get us clearance on the Helios transfer."

"And (Y/n)?"

"Don't you worry about that. I'll take care of it no sweat. All I need to do is make a call to a certain bar owning vixen and all of our troubles will be settled. We're finally going to make a difference, Angel. It's all coming together~"

"Yeah, that's...that's great, Jack. I'm so excited." He didn't even hear the hesitancy in her words, as usual. Always so absorbed in his own plans.

"This will work. It just has to."


	4. Feel Invincible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From the eyes of Handsome Jack himself, we see just what things are like when he's the one running the show. Turns out it's a little more complicated than most people would think...  
> \------------------------------------------------------------------------  
> Chapter based off of this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf9NSd_2avA

Two weeks and three days. It took the vault hunters nearly three weeks to find the last piece to the vault key, find the vault and get the son of a bitch open to try and get to the sweet loot inside. I mean, they weren't the ones to open it - that thanks goes to the god awful Crimson Lance and their Siren leader, Commandant Steele, but honestly, who would have guessed that there would be a friggin' monster inside the vault! And the look on Steele's face when she got stabbed-! Ahaha, what a riot! That's just something that happens, though. Bad guys always think they're better because they "know what's best" for the world, but they don't. And that useless Siren sure didn't and now she has a hole straight through her chest.

Since then, I've been working on the Helios transfer. Angel managed to get us access to travel there, but it's taking my girlfriend, Moxxi, a little too long to get my bestie a way out of this station and onto a new one. Now, Moxxi is about as smart as she is sexy and as dangerous a combination as that was, I liked her for it anyways. Giving her limited amount of access to Tassiter's ECHO mainframe was about as generous as I could be to her, but she seemed to be struggling with some of the firewalls. Seems that old bastard kept all of his secrets locked up tight, and for some reason (Y/n) was included in the deeply encoded lockout. Just how far were they going to go with this Queen Bee thing? Speaking of which, Queenie's been getting pretty popular these days.

Everyone on the station has heard of the elusive queen who has taken out numerous targets upon Tassiter's orders. No one but me and the boss know about her true identity. Everyone - except for one scientist - in the R&D department mysteriously "vanished" once the Queen Bee project was settled. You know, I thought I saw a shadow fly by my window one night. Thought it had been an asteroid at the time and went back to sleep. You see one shooting star, you've seen them all.

(Y/n)'s a pariah 'round these parts now. A deadly omen that should never slip from your tongue. You so much as mention her alias in passing and you'll be found the next day with a bullet through the brain. Just the way the CEO of Hyperion likes it and the Board is eating it up just as much. Since day one, I could see a change in her. She was so determined to start something new with her life and she's gone and done it, but now she looks...so different from the woman I know. All cleaned up and professional thanks to Tassiter, nails painted like that of a bee and lips painted in the same colors; yellow with a black heart at the center. She was fierce, she was focused...and she was breathtaking.

Alluring and confident to most of the males and female workers and I'm even ashamed to admit that I've become enticed by her transformation. Like a young larvae, she grew into something beautiful. She's pulling everyone in with her erotic She-Ra gimmick and I don't know what to do to keep myself from staring like an idiot! This should be weird, right? Why isn't it weird to me? I mean, I'm with Moxxi, so I should just stop thinking about this and move on. Yeah, that's what I should do....or maybe I could just -

"Jack?" Angel's voice roused me from my thoughts and I sat up in my seat. Hopefully she had some good news to give me, because I was losing my mind at this point.

"Yes, pumpkin? Anything new to update?" Pulling my ECHO band up, I looked through some of my emails for more information on some projects I was working on the side of everything else going on. Seems the eye's been moved to Helios without any trouble and was now being installed for use. Another step to check off my ever growing list of problems to solve.

"The vault hunters we've compiled for the next expedition have all accepted your request. They should arrive in the next three weeks."

"T-Three weeks?! Why not have them show up now?"

"We still need to transfer ourselves over to Helios and you refuse to leave without (Y/n)."

"Ah, right, right." God, why was that issue the most difficult one to figure out? "Moxxi should be calling me today with her update on things, but you've kept an eye out on the logs, right? No one's been hired for security duty on Helios just yet? Our plan hinges on her getting a damn good position with security and I would hate for someone to go and fuck everything up."

"Why security? She's very resourceful, smart, and she's good in a fight with all the training she's been doing. Why not make her into a secretary?" That...didn't sound too bad at all. Better pay than personal bodyguard and she would have more hours to work than just wait on someone to call her and take care of someone who was teasing Tassiter for being a loser again.

"I'll actually keep that in mind. Thank you for that suggestion, Angel. Anyways, tell the vault hunters to make it a week instead. I'll triple the payment amount and include a jet for them to easily make it from Pandora to Helios with and not scrounge one together from whatever scrap heaps they can find out there. I'm going to see what else I can do on my end to get (Y/n) transferred. You just rest easy until this is all settled, princess." She thinks I didn't hear it, but the relieved sigh made something twist and turn in my stomach. I know she hates using her powers for my own gain and I get it, but the only way for her to survive at all is if she just stayed in her room until she had better control of her powers. I couldn't even begin to say when that would be, but she was getting stronger and more calm, so I'll count that as progress.

"Of course, Jack." With the connection now severed, I got up from my chair and went to change. Looks like I'll have to miss Man VS. Machine's newest episode today. Ah well, I'll record it so (Y/n) and I won't miss something for binge night. For this next mission, I'll need to be a little more physical with my work. Look out, Harold, I'm coming by to ruin your day.

"Mr. Tassiter, think of the increase in productivity! With a menacing figure like Queen Bee looming over the workers, we'll shell out more weapons and research for our customers and sales would go through the roof! She's perfect for the new station."

"And not by _my_ side where she has been assigned as _my_ personal bodyguard, right? Want me to be left here unguarded for some assassin to strike me down and finally do away with me like everyone seems to want? Is that what you want, John?" It would make me dance with glee, yeah.

"I-It's actually Jack now, sir-"

"John, you and I both know who Queen Bee really is and as much as I would love to do away with you, that would only cause me to lose loyalty to my best weapon and now is a dire time to keep it, so why don't you be honest and tell me why you really want her transferred to the Helios Observation Center? There's nothing of use for her out there."

What a pain in my goddamn perfect ass. "It's still dangerously close to Pandora. The planet is swarming with monsters and bandits alike, sometimes both with all of the gross inbreeding! Having her around would guarantee safety as well."

"So would a good handful of our own guards, ones that won't cost just as much money as it would just having her look over the place by herself."

It doesn't take much to notice that my blood pressure is rising. I desperately wanted to shut him up, but now wasn't the right time. I'll have my chance one of these days...and soon he'll be kneeling down and begging me to forgive him for his assholery. "I know that, sir...however, none of those lackeys have the proper training she does that requires one to take down a Goliath with the right amount of bullets like Queenie does. She's perfect, better than the guards we have here!" I nearly snarled at him, but it still wasn't what he wanted to hear. I knew what the bastard wanted and I refused to back down and give him just that.

"Our staff is perfectly capable of taking down a few bandits. Quit reaching and go put some code somewhere like you usually do."

"Sir-!"

"You're dismissed, John." I knew then I had blown my chance at Tassiter hearing me out, but I still have a few more tricks up my sleeves. Right as I got on the elevator, my ECHO band began to ring. And there's my ace now.

"Moxxi, you beautiful temptress, how's everything going on your end? I really, REALLY need some good news right about now..." Didn't particularly mean to get all grumbly there. Just sick of things not going my way. Moxxi, sweet Moxxi, bless her heart somewhere underneath her tig 'ol bitties, smiled at me from her end of the transmission.

"Aww, what's the matter, sugar? You seem a little stressed."

"Yeah, well you would be too if you had to talk to my boss. Anything on that transfer yet, babe?"

She sighed. Business as usual with this man. "It's all pretty airtight, Jack, even with the access you've given me. Luckily, I found a way around Hyperion's security with a little help from an old friend. He gave me a sort of key that should be able to get you access straight into your friend's file. All you would need to do is move her to transfer, fake Tassiter's signature on the forms and soon you two will be on your way to Helios and run things how you both want to. Dream come true, right?"

I couldn't help but cheer. It was the kind of break I needed! And here I was thinking of threatening my boss at gun point. That or bust into his office at night and try to hack my way into his personal computer. This works too! "You have no idea, Mox! Thank you so much. Guess we should just meet up, you can give me the key and everything will be done and done! Now where should I go and-"

"Now hold on, I didn't do this for free, sugar~" The groan was immediate the moment I heard those words. There's the Moxxi I knew. Only worked if there was a damn good price involved. Knowing her, she wanted something that would help her out in the long run. Cash is all well and good, but tech was more her speed.

"What do you want, Moxxi? Kinda running on a tight schedule here."

"I'll give you the key if you grab something for me real quick."

"Uh...yeah, okay, sure. What do you need me to get?"

"So there's a little something I bought not too long ago from Promethea that was supposed to help me out around the bar here on Elpis. It was meant to arrive here four days ago and I still haven't heard anything about the delivery since. I sent out some people to go and find out what the hold up was just this morning and it was several hours later that I was sent back one of their heads in a box."

I wince. "Wow, that's kind of foreboding. Take it whatever this package you ordered was important?"

"Hardly, but getting these things isn't cheap and whoever took my delivery knew that. I need you to get what I ordered and send it to me through the nearest Fast Travel on your end. Once you've done that, I'll give you the key." That all did sound promising, but I would need to gear up and be careful. Promethea wasn't foreign to me - actually stayed there a few times to take in the new age tech and city life - but I still needed help getting around certain parts of the area. Maps should help if I was quick in downloading a few to my ECHO.

"Fine, I'll take care of it. Gonna give me a hint on what I'm looking out for, at least?"

"You'll know when you see it. I'll send you the coordinates from my hunters' last known location when you drop down to Promethea." The elevator stops and I step out just so I could head to my quarters. "And thank you for this, sugar. This really means a lot to me."

"Yeah, you're welcome, pumpkin...and could ya cut it out with the sugar talk? Makes me feel all gooey and weird." Her reply came in the form of a laugh. Of course it did.

Promethea was a massive planet with various skyscrapers and vehicles of all kinds winding through the streets like clockwork. Inside my own car, I turned right and glanced down at the map on the screen of my ECHO. Just a quarter mile to go and I'll finally get this show on the road. I pulled to a stop at the side of the road, made sure to lock the car up with my keys and walked over to the huge puddle of blood that just seemed to be waiting for someone to find it. Given the amount and the fact that there were hardly any drag marks, Moxxi's guys were expected and killed on the spot. Seems someone knew about the shipment and didn't want my girl to have it. Interesting. Looking around, I spotted an abandoned ECHO cartridge in a pile of garbage and picked it up...after making sure it was thoroughly sanitized, of course, and decided to give it a quick listen. I hated drawn out silences. They're just the worst. The ECHO pad clicked into place and began to play.

" _Seems the messenger was right. The slut really did send her lovestruck goons after us. What's so special about this thing anyways? Hardly worth the effort, I say. Better check back in with Shanks over at the Parlor. He'll want to hear the good news._ " The tape ended and I tossed it aside. It was useless now, anyways. Putting in the new coordinates, I start to head back to the car when my ECHO band rings. I answer it without seeing the caller ID. Figured it was Moxxi wondering where I was.

"Listen, Mox, I'm on my way to this place called The Parlor, so please don't go and ask me where the delivery is yet, 'cause I'm working on-"

"Mox?" That wasn't Moxxi's voice. Glancing down, I realized too late that it was (Y/n) who called. Shit.

"Oh, (Y/n)! Yeah, sorry about that. Thought you were someone else."

"Mad Moxxi, right? She's your girlfriend? Also, where are you right now? Sounds like you're on the road." Always so curious, this one.

"Yeah, just visiting a friend. What's up, Queenie? Must've had a reason to call me in the first place." That seemed to help her remember and I really wasn't ready to tell her everything just yet.

"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out and maybe grab a bite to eat together. We haven't had a chance to even talk thanks to my job, so I wanted to see if you were available. I guess you're busy, though..."

"No!" I call out, even surprising myself from it. "I mean, once I'm done with this errand we can go and see what's good at the cafeteria today. Wait for me when I get back?"

"Well...Okay. Just get back here when you can. I'll go find some snacks until you do."

I laugh and speed up just a little bit more. I couldn't keep the Queen waiting. "Better not fill up on those, pumpkin."

"Don't tell me what to do~" God, how is she so cute with that devious little smile of hers and the way those (E/C) eyes just seem to sparkle under the right lig--Okay, seriously? This HAS to stop or I will turn the wheel and kill us both, brain!

"I'll see you in a bit, Queenie."

"See ya later, John!" I'll ignore the skipping beat in my chest and continue down the path the ECHO was leading me through. Seems that call really helped to pass the time; I was practically there at this point. Music could only do much when it comes to driving and this place was mostly techno compared to the genre I would listen to on the space station. Finding the hide out was real easy. These idiots might as well have put a blinking arrow right above their door. Making sure to hide my car in an alley, I step out with my weapons at the ready and head into what looked like a run down subway station. Seems it was going to be repaired in the upcoming months thanks to the signs pinned all over the place. A lot of graffiti was plastered onto them, though, and it was all thanks to local gangs just trying to really get into the thug life. Whatever, solving that issue wasn't my problem.

I managed to find a few members keeping guard in the middle of the tunnel and others seemed to be chatting or smoking some new drug that would surely kill them. Ah, to be a degenerate teen again~ I walked over to one of these dum-dum's and blast his goddamn brains out. See what happens when you do drugs, kiddos? It gets you a bullet in the brain! The panic was expected, of course. Luckily, being the debonair genius that I am, I dove for cover behind a tipped over train car. My shield's were up so I had no trouble with getting hurt this time around, though I would prefer getting through this without a single scratch on me. Now all I needed to do was figure out where the package was and hopefully get out of here without having to kill too many people in the process. These days that's easier said than done.

I decided to lay low until most of the rounds stopped firing. I took my chance and shot at a few ankles, only to rush out when it seemed like the coast was clear and they were all too wounded or distracted to catch me. Running through them and further into the subway, I checked my map and activated the packages tracker. It only worked within a certain radius of the package itself and from what I could see, I was getting closer to it. I could hear the rushed footsteps behind me and tossed back a couple grenades I packed with me before arriving on the planet. They didn't seem to expect that and the screams were easily ignored.

"Alrighty, just gotta head down a few stairs, take a right then a left here, head further down - Oh shit!"

**BANG!**

"...Killed a guy, but that was expected. Make another left and then I should be..." I stopped and hid behind a massive crate to peek at where the delivery was. I could see these people made a little hideout for themselves further down into the subway channels. I didn't know what this place was, but it had a sort of bar and club mix to it. The Parlor, in bright neon red sparked just above the metal door and I could easily tell that getting in wouldn't be as easy as hacking into someone's phone would be. I would need something to help me get in and that door was metal. Maybe with a strong enough explosive I could just barge my way in with that, but I could end up damaging the goods inside. Then there was the possibility of alerting this Shanks guy. They could either be really smart or really dumb and I didn't want to bother with either.

I ducked back when I heard the door open and close. A woman with shocking blue hair and a cigarette between her fingers stepped out and leaned against the wall to relax. That wasn't going to make breaking in any easier, but maybe she could also help me get in. Not sure if this place needed a password of some kind to get in, but I would need to take my chance here. Shooting her would draw attention and who knows how long I have until the rest of those goons back at the front finally come down and find me. I was on borrowed time, as per the usual.

Typing away at my ECHO band, I raised my wrist and shot off a mini-drone to scope the area further. This little idea was all thanks to (Y/n) and her bees. Drones really do come in handy when you're in a tight spot. Checking the feed, I could see the woman as clear as day. She hadn't noticed the drone, but let's see what I'm dealing with inside the Parlor. Turning heat seeking on, I could see that there were four more people inside. Three of them seemed to be of average height, holding some guns in their hands as they waited for their leader's order. Speaking of which, the big ox that towered over the three seemed to be messing with something inside. He must have opened the box and taken out what was inside. Given his body language, he was curiously eyeing it up. Swear to god if Moxxi made me come out here for lingerie...

"Five against one, huh? Yeah, not the best odds, but I can manage. Yeah, I should be fine. Okay, Jack, you've got this. Just turn that corner and shoot her down...and then face whatever shit show is waiting for you on the other side of that door." I take three deep breaths and turn. The woman gasps, but before she could make a sound I shoot her several times in the chest. She goes down with a gurgle and I make my way to the door, only to stop short when it was kicked down. I get a few shots in and two of the lackeys get a few on me too. Idiots don't have shields like I do, but that's their loss! They both fall almost instantly and I dive to the side to let my shields regenerate. That leaves the one lackey left and then the boss.

So far the drone hadn't picked up on the big guy yet, but the henchman was hiding around the corner of the door. Knowing how these jackholes think, I know he'll just try to push forward until he ends up cornering me. Where do they make dreamers like this? Must be something in their water. As I thought it, the man tries to come at me, but I turn first and shoot him right in the head. I always like getting head shots with my wrist blasters. Gives me a sense of pride every time.

With all his dumbass followers dead, the boss finally comes out with a massive axe in his hands. For a guy named Shanks, I expected more knives. That's what you get for expecting great things from bandits, I suppose.

"Let me guess," I quip from my hiding place. "You're gonna demand what happened to your guys and get all pissy about them being dead? No "Fe Fi Fo Fum"? A bastard your size could definitely pull it off."

"Just who the hell are you to come into my hideout and kill off all my men?! You got some kinda deathwish, fresh meat?" Oh damn it, he's one of _**these guys**_?

"Fresh meat? Really? I hear better names on Pandora." I turn the corner and raise my arms, both blasters at the ready. "And mine happens to be Handsome Jack, the badass who's going to take back what you stole from a pretty lady up on a moon." I can see it in his eyes that he finally realized what this was about. The big bastard actually had the audacity to smirk. What a scumbag.

"Ahh, so you're here for that, then. Guess Miss Moxxi is getting impatient. So tell me, think she'll get so upset she'll actually come down and face me? Woman could learn to grow a pair that wasn't just on her chest." Oh, I was so very, VERY tempted to shoot him in the face. "Tell you what, you manage to beat me right here and now, you can have her annoying little toy back. If you fail, you die and I get the opportunity to send your head back over to her. Bet she would just love that."

"Pretty optimistic there for a dead man." The charge of my weapons was music to my ears and seeing him raise his weapon, I knew the massive dick was feeling the heat of battle too. He was the first to charge and I managed to dodge the swing of his axe with a quick tuck-and-roll out of its range.

Shooting him didn't seem to do immediate damage. He held out on his followers and hoarded most of the good shields and weapons for himself. I could respect that, but still that wasn't cool. These guys followed him for whatever possible reason, so the least you could do is gear them up so you don't have to deal with annoying people. If I'm ever the leader of anything, that's the first thing I would do. You know, if I cared enough that day or whatever. God, will this guy just fall already?!

"You're puny BB guns aren't working, Jack! Might want to try something else if you don't want to die!" Sad part is that he was right. I was taking only small chunks of his shield down. Not enough to actually deactivate it. I should have grabbed a Maliwan gun on the way here. Damn it all to hell!

"Shut up, you fat pig, I know what the hell I'm doing!" Another dodge and I shoot at his ankles. I manage to knock him down with the move and rush him to throw a few hard punches at his head. He rears his arm back to smack he away and I get one more shot in before I'm flung against the door of the Parlor. It caves inward and I find myself surrounded by tacky bar knickknacks and the usual games you would find inside them. And on the bar...oh, on the bar...

"Hiya! Are you a friend of Mr. Shanks?" He's red, has one eye, one wheel and his voice is grating to the ears. It's a goddamn Claptrap.

".....ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" I barely have time to focus my anger on it and get pulled up by the front of my shirt. Thanks to the annoying robot, I'm probably going to die here!

Shanks laughs at my reaction. "Yeah, surprised she just didn't go and tell you what her delivery is. Was gonna tear him apart and sell the pieces, but this is far more fun. Maybe she'll try to work out a deal with me. I can think of a number of ways she could pay me for the bucket of bolts." I can feel my anger rising to a boiling point. What an asshole. "Or...maybe I could get more for you. News has traveled fast here to Pandora about the terrifying Killer Queen up on your station. Heard that you two had some kind of close connection. Wonder how much I would get for your ransom?"

He tightens his grip and I gasp for breath. I could see the scenario play out in my head. (Y/n) probably wouldn't even get the call in the first place. It would go straight to Tassiter, the man would put it aside for who knows how long and by the time he finally decides to show her, I'll already be dead. The anger gets worse and worse.

"Stop...!" The sick freak laughs in my face.

"Stop? Does that bother you? Maybe when she gets down here to help, I'll pluck every little wing of hers right before your eyes...make you listen to her screams. Wouldn't that be fun?" That image is just too much and I see red. I raise my wrists and I stare the sorry fuck right in the eyes as I shoot at his face. The shield only barely holds until it bursts into virtual bits. I don't even blink, I don't even stop, I just keep firing until he's backing himself away from the Parlour and out into the open again. Drops of blood follow each step and I keep moving forward until the man ends up kneeling at my feet. I don't know when I did it, but I had grabbed the axe the man dropped on my way out. I was so wrapped up in the sights, sounds and heart wrenching pain this man would have caused (Y/n) that I couldn't stop myself. I raise the axe high above my head and shut my eyes. I see her smiling face as I bring it down. Ah...doesn't she just look so pleased~?

"It's done."

Moxxi's eyes brighten on her end of the call. "Really? You got my package back?"

"Yeah, but it was a hell of a job turning it off and getting it back in the damn box."

"Ah...so I take it you know exactly what was inside?"

I grunt. "Yep. Coulda told me earlier that it was a goddamn Claptrap, Mox...Would have really helped."

"No, you would have refused immediately. You hate all Claptraps."

"Though you aren't wrong about any of that, still would have been nice to know. I'm on my way to the nearest Fast Travel on my end, but you better hold up your end of the deal. This little pick up was a lot more frustrating than I thought it would be."

"Really? Usually you never complain when it comes to killing bandits. You always seemed to hate them no matter what planet they were from." I could feel her gaze on me, studying my face for a reaction. I kept my eyes on the road for the most part. No point in giving her the satisfaction of figuring it all out.

"Bandits come in all forms, but this one liked to run his damn mouth a bit. Kinda got on my nerves."

"....Jack-"

"Ah, lookie here. There's the Fast Travel!" I find a place to park, missing the tired sigh that left Moxxi's lips as I chose to ignore her prodding. I just wanted to get this all settled and done so I could finally move on over to Helios. That's all I want right now....and maybe a few shots of whiskey. That sounds nice too. Hopping out of the car, I go to the trunk and heft up the box. This sonovabitch is heavy as all get out, but if it could get him out of my hair and into Moxxi's, then I have no complaints. Placing it down in front of the Fast Travel, I stretch my arms over my head and bring the ECHO band down to continue speaking with her.

"Alright, it's in place. You ready on your end?"

"Just about, sugar. Go ahead and send it through." It doesn't take too long. Just a few button clicks away and the box is instantly digistructed into the Fast Travel. With it out of my sight, I wait for an affirmation from my girl that she got what she needed. It doesn't take long. You know, considering these things also brought people back from the dead, Dahl did a fantastic job with their design. They would look so much better yellow, though...and made by us.

"You get it?"

"Yep! He's in perfect condition too. Might need to reboot him considering the bandits activated him first, but that shouldn't be a hassle. Here's the key I promised you." Seeing it digistruct before my eyes is like seeing the treasure from within a Vault. It was glorious and just what I needed to make my plans flourish. Picking it up from the ground, I examine it.

"A Phalanx key. Heard of these things practically everywhere, but they're so hard to find. Basically skeleton keys for digital locks."

"That's right and this one is a very special design. So far it's been able to access a ton of company files for...leverage, but with this you should be able to get just what you want. Hope this helps, Handsome." I pocket the device and smirk at my girl. She was just a peach.

"Thanks, babe! Now I can finally get off this planet and head back home. Today's been real long..."

"Of course, you get some rest now. Just don't forget to call every once in a while, okay~?"

"Promise, cupcake. See you later."

"Stay safe out there, sugar. Buh-bye~" I hang up and access the fast travel. Time to get the hell out of here and get shit done.

Getting into Tassiter's files was easy, same with forging his signature. Practiced long before this plan even came together, mostly to fuck with his work and make him look bad in front of the Board of Directors. Those days had been hilarious. Now that (Y/n) had a one way ticket to Helios, things should run smoothly. The eye had also been transferred and set into place on the space station, so all that was left was to study it and use it to its fullest potential. It was all coming together. And speaking of (Y/n), I can see here over at the bar. Taking my place at her side, I tap her shoulder and all of my grievances from earlier just seem to wash away at the sight of her smile.

"John! I was wondering when you would get here. Are you okay? You look a little scraped up? Did you get in a fight with someone on this errand of yours?" She was worried about me...how sweet of her.

"Yeah, but you should see the other guy. Actually, maybe you shouldn't. He's got it way worse. Way, way worse," I chuckle. She winces, but lets it go.

"Well, if you say so. Anyway, I'm starving! Let's go find a table and grab some grub."

"Yeah, I could definitely go for some good cookin' right about now. Craving enchiladas for some strange reason."

"Ooohhh, that sounds good. Let's get some of those! I'll pay since you did the last time."

"Alright, but if you're going to do that then I'll be paying for the margaritas~" Her pout is too adorable. Does she even realize what she does to people with that face of hers?

"You are just impossible, John."

"And you love me for it. Come on, admit it, Queenie~" Despite all the teasing and jests, I could tell that there was a tenderness in her gaze every time our eyes locked. I knew she cared about me and I wanted her to know that I felt the same way. (Y/n), much like Angel, was all I had left in this horrible galaxy. And even as we sat down and waited for a service bot to come take our orders, I continued to plan a perfect future for all of us.

Maybe I could build homes for all of us on Pandora. Once the planet was safe, we could finally have a perfect life together. Me, my daughter and my best friend, all together and at peace for once and just never needing to fight anyone or anything to survive. What a perfect world that would be.

"Okay, I might care deeply for you, ya big goof. Now are you gonna get those margaritas or do you need me to hold your hand?" she joked. This right here was paradise.

"Oh, c'mon! Have some faith in me. I'm Handsome Jack, baby! I can do anything you ask of me, even give you the world if that's what you desired. Nothing is impossible in my eyes." And if only you knew that I meant it. "Just say the word, Queenie...and I would be at your service."

If only you knew...


	5. The Rise of a Hero

You couldn't understand why or how it even came to pass, but you were being transferred over to a new station with hardly any warning whatsoever. Honestly, men in uniforms just barged into your room and took everything out to be shipped over to the new station. Although, you would hardly call it new. It wasn't even finished with its construction! Before you could even delve further into the issue, John came running over with the widest smile he's ever given. He then picked you up and spun you around, laughing all the while.

"(Y/n)!"

"John?!" He managed to put you down after a while. "John, what-?"

"Yeah, I know. Sorry, I got a little excited there. So I take it you're curious about the move?"

"...And you're suspiciously well informed even though I'm not. What's going on?"

Still beaming like the sun, John held up his ECHO band and showed you holographic images of the forms describing the both of your transfers. They were even signed off by Tassiter and everything. That part surprised you, considering you thought he needed a bodyguard. Did this mean you wouldn't be Queen Bee anymore? After you just got the job only a month back? You tried to look further into the forms, but so far there were little details about the transfer or what you both were even supposed to be doing when you got to Helios station. This just felt too sudden and strange. How was John so excited about this?

"You and I are moving, (Y/n)! Isn't that just great?"

"I mean...I guess, but what are we going to be doing there? Will we have a boss? Do I need to give up my new role? What are we even-?" He grasped onto your shoulders to steady you. He must have realized that you were growing more and more frantic with every word that passed through your lips.

"Hey, Pumpkin, could ya relax? Look at me. Breathe in, breathe out. Again for me now. Breathe in and out. There ya go, Queenie. You got it." That excercise definitely helped. How was he so good at that? It took a moment for you to remember that he had gone to therapy for his anger issues.

"Thank you...Sorry, I'm just a little overwhelmed right now. I mean, not too long ago I was freaking out over some guys taking all my things to Helios without my knowledge, and now this."

"I know, Sweetheart, but don't sweat the big stuff. The only thing we are focusing on when we get there is the development of the place. That should only take us two months until the construction is fully complete and then Tassiter will take the reigns." Though John hardly looked pleased about that. You could understand why. Tassiter could be a bit of an asshole at times.

"Wait, us?" His excitement came back.

"Yep! You and me, we're gonna run all of Helios until it's finished. Won't it be great? The place is gonna be all ours until it's done and the first thing I know I'm gonna do is change the color scheme. The black and red only reminds me of Atlas and we want to be different from the other weapon manufacturers. I was thinking yellow would be our color when we get there. Really screams Hyperion to me." Placing his arm around your shoulders, the man began to lead you away from your room.

"I mean...much as that would be an improvement on looks, I really don't see how that has to do with the rest of the station."

"What do you mean? It's bright and positive, said to bring up a person's mood. That, and it matches your armor!"

"So I'm the new mascot now?"

"Yes--I mean, no! No, you're not a mascot! You and I will be the figureheads of this place. We'll turn everything around now that we're on top. You just have to trust me." He sounded like the two of you were already CEO's of Helios, but he couldn't be hinting at something like that, right? The only way to do that was to impress the board enough to make them switch Tassiter out with John or until Tassiter died. Either option didn't sound to good to you.

"I do trust you, John, I just worry about all of this. Other than the looks, how are we going to keep the place functioning until it's development is finished? Who's going to watch over the sections that are already finished? Who's going to look over the Pandora projects set up for it? Do we even have other staff there that isn't just us and a few security guards?" Stopping in front of a Fast Travel, he crossed his arms and bowed his head, wiping a stray strand of hair away as if to calm himself.

"That's all being covered by yours truly, babe. I have a ton of projects in mind already for some of our new scientists to look over and even put in a few tickets in to have some ClapTraps and Loader Bots help out around the place instead of focus on construction like the rest of them. Right now, the only thing we're doing 'today' is getting all our stuffed moved over to Helios. Then, you and I are going to get all dressed up nice and pretty, go someplace fancy to celebrate and then we can focus on work and junk tomorrow. There's...actually something I've been meaning to mention to you, but we can talk about it at dinner."

There he goes again, making plans even though you were trying to keep up from the start. Still, just focusing on today did sound better than the near future. And it did sound like he had everything under control...maybe it would be better to just let him figure it out until you got a handle on what was going on. Stepping up to the Fast Travel, he put in a few digits for the coordinates and stepped back to let you go first.

"Where are we going?" you asked with a little hesitation. You did have your armor on underneath, treating them as a sort of safety measure since you could be attacked in the middle of your naps. You still had to be cautious these days.

"To our new home. I wanted to show you our offices and the schematics so you could figure out where everything was."

"Oh...okay. Guess I should go ahead." You stepped up and kept your arms to your sides. Last joker who spread them out in T-Pose lost them both on the other side. It had made for an interesting read in the Hyperion Newsletter you all get through E-mail. "See you on the other side, John."

"Please, call me Jack. That's what's on my desk plaque, at least."

"What?" That point the Fast Travel actually decided to work and you were digistructed from one part of the galaxy to the other, ending up right inside of a massive office that overlooked the entire planet of Pandora. You had only been there a few times, but it was beautiful from where you stood. How could a planet so corrupt and twisted at times turn out to be so gorgeous from way up here? You just couldn't understand it. Then again, maybe that's what most planets were like. Every little place had a dark side to it and Pandora was just one of many.

"Like the view?" The familiar voice nearly made you jump out of your skin and you turned back to see John's smirking face in yours.

"Jesus, John-!"

"Jack."

"-don't scare me like that!"

"I think I just might keep on going if we don't move past that John thing. Look see-" He reached over to the desk and held it up, showing off the new name of his.

"Handsome Jack? You're actually sticking with that nickname?"

"Yep, even had it legally changed and everything." That...what?

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

"I changed my name. It's not John anymore. I am now Handsome Jack. Jack is just fine, though." You needed a moment to process this. John--Jack now, didn't even seem to mind as you took a seat in what was his new desk chair.

"You actually made Handsome Jack your official name? Why would you-?"

He didn't mean to, but cutting you off was the only way he could explain without you calling him a bunch of names he knew you wanted to call him over this. "Because I needed a new start just like you did."

"John..."

"Nope. Not anymore. John is gone now. He's no longer just some code monkey like the rest. Instead, Jack's going to run Helios and make Hyperion better. C'mon, we have to get through this together or we're never going to, now say it with me." Taking a seat on the desk, he put his arms on his lap and laced his fingers together. "Say my new name."

"John, this is ridiculous..."

"Handsome Jack. Say it, (Y/n). That's my name now."

"John-"

"Jack."

"But-"

"Please, (Y/n)," he murmured with a frown. "Do this for me."

"....Okay...Jack."

"Again."

"Jack."

"One more time to make sure it sets in."

"Handsome Jack." You finally relented, trying to sound sure enough so you both could end this little dance you've been doing when it came to the nickname from the very beginning. Well, guess it wasn't a nickname anymore. Jack's accepted it into his way of life now.

"Not bad, Queenie. Not bad~" He seemed pretty pleased, at least. Wonder how long that's been bothering him. Standing up again, he offered you a hand and you took it. "Now that we have that out of the way, we can move on. Tell me what you think of the office, though! You like it?" Taking a more detailed look around, you could see that the man not only had a desk and chair here, but also a massive bookshelf to your left with a small area for drinks he would no doubt share whenever someone came around to talk with him. Even had fountains in the middle of the room, making him seem like someone powerful as guests walked up to him. There were even little ponds with actual Koi fish swimming around inside. And to the right were massive photos of the former heads of Hyperion. Jack let out a small grunt when you looked over at them.

"Had no choice about that. Kinda came with the territory and I'm not allowed to take 'em down." There was a hidden 'yet' somewhere in that sentence, you just knew it. "But your thoughts?"

"It looks really nice. One side is cozy, at least. The waterfalls were also a nice touch. It must be really soothing in here while you're on business calls or signing forms."

"Oh, it definitely will be. My favorite is the view, though. Probably the best spot in all of Helios." You couldn't help but take another look at the planet again. He made a valid point. Feeling his arm around your shoulders again, you leaned into his side, still focused on the view.

"So this is your place now, huh?"

"This is our place, Queenie. No way in hell was I going to leave you behind when an opportunity like this was just around the corner. This...Helios station, it's ours now and we're going to make it the perfect symbol of Hyperion. Now why don't I show you to your own office." That one actually surprised you.

"I have an office?"

"Of course you have an office! As my newly appointed secretary and Co-CEO of Helios - "

"We aren't CEO's of anything, Jack."

\- you are required to have a good office too. It's just next door to mine. Now, this has a bit of a view, but I think you can really turn it into your own place, ya know?" Leading you out of the room, he turns the corner, steps up to a keypad and inputs the code before heading inside. What you saw was not only amazing, but incredibly witty and something you would need to discuss with Jack later at dinner.

It almost looked like a hive inside of the office. There were a few shelves shaped like honeycombs on one side that held a few portfolios, books and other such materials to help with research and work. On the other was a massive rack of guns all lined up on the wall. They were behind a glass case to keep them same, but at the very center was your trusty sniper rifle. You had thought you left that back in your room on the last station.

"I brought that one in myself before the movers showed up. Can't trust those guys with something THIS valuable." He was right, but how did he get into your room? Actually, forget about it. Jack has ways of getting into places without even trying. You didn't forget the drunken bathroom incident. "Check the ceiling."

You did and were stunned at the amount of bee drones crawling around on top. They seemed to be moving beyond somewhere in your ceiling and you turned to ask, but Jack was on top of everything.

"These drones now have a direct line throughout all of Helios. Made sure to add it into the schematics a bit. Sure you can summon them from the palm of your hand like the Queen Bee suit will allow, but I was thinking we can have a few come out when prompted and swarm more people who try to do wrong by either of us. I know someone is going to try and do something wicked to this place eventually, especially now that you're here, but you shouldn't worry about that. We have security guards all over the place, so we should be fine."

Other than that, the rest of the room looked like a regular office with your own desk and computer set up, a place for you to sit and read, even a fireplace. There was even a luxurious chair beside it with a foot rest and a soft, fuzzy looking yellow blanket hanging on the arm. This was practically a dream come true for you.

"Jack, this is...I can't even put into words just how amazing this place is."

"I was thinking thank you so much and could you show me to my room so we can talk dinner plans~?"

You let out a snicker. "Uh--sure! Yeah, let's get going. I need to get out of these pajamas. This is way better than spending most of my day playing videogames until a mission comes up."

"Oh, hell yeah. I know what that's like. The worst."

"Jack, you put code into our systems."

"Doesn't mean I can't finish most of that faster than any other person in the station. I get bored when there's nothing else to do, and you know what I'm like when I'm bored."

"You're almost always destructive when it comes to another person's property, regardless of how much higher they are in workplace hierarchy?"

"Well you didn't have to put it like that, Kitten..." He even sent you a pout, but you know it was forced. Jack always bounces back in an instant. Stepping out of the office, the both of you walked through another long aisle of kiosks with computers and keyboards. No one was in them, but there were pictures of ClapTraps, signed by other ClapTraps, and not a single chair was in sight. You knew immediately what this all was for.

"You're going to have ClapTraps right outside our office?" Jack made a face and pushed the button to the elevator to head down.

"I know, right? It's awful, but we make do with what we got." The elevator was quick and we stepped inside.

"I dunno, I don't really mind them all that much. They're actually kinda sweet when they're not focused on themselves." You didn't bother to turn and look at the horror that graced your best friend's face. You knew how he felt about ClapTraps for years. He always hated them, but if they could be useful to him or his projects, then he wouldn't complain. This all was news to him, though.

"You're kidding, right?" he asked while pushing the first floor button. "You actually like those annoying robots?"

"They're talkative, but they're not bad. Temp has helped me a lot when I was reporting into Tassiter's office when it came to my usual missions. All the ClapTraps there were nice to me. They referred to me as a Queen, gave me flowers, even some candies, little drawings here and there. They were very nice."

"Huh...I guess if anyone can keep those dumb robots under control, it can be you. You always had a soft spot for animals and robots with feelings, which goes against everything they stand for, but whatever. You'll be the one dealing with them when they do something wrong, though. That'll be a lot of reports to write up for the damages, Queenie~" The elevator made it to the bottom floor and you slugged him on the arm, which he laughed off. He would help with some of the reports whether he liked it or not.

The two of you got to take a good look at Helios station before other workers got to come in and swarm the place. There were a few security guards who you two would bump into from time to time, but they usually went about their business and you both did the same. It was when you both headed up a long flight of stairs that you found a long hall full of doors and windows with plants just in front of them. The plants seemed to be Pandoran from what you could tell by the color. They were also very familiar thanks to the missions.

He led you to the furthest room on the right and pulled up a keycard. He slid it up in front of a scanner, let it scan the cryptic code on one side and you nearly rolled your eyes when it greeted him with a "Hello, Handsome" right as the door opened.

"You did that on purpose."

"You bet I did. It was just too perfect like me, how could I resist?" You both stepped in and most of the movers were still inside, trying to put the bed in the right place, along with the drawers, your desk and old computer that you had used on a budget because Hyperion was rich but you weren't. That is until recently, at least. You didn't buy a new one, though. This one still worked fine at the moment. Jack, noticing that a man was heading into the adjoining restroom on the side, rushed over with a shout. You watched him go and make corrections like the control freak he was and took a look around.

It wasn't as massive as the office you would be working it, but it was still huge compared to your old bedroom. The bed was new too. Any regular bed would have been fine, but a Queen sized would be so comfortable to sleep on, especially after a long day of work. The windows didn't have a view like Jack's, but the stars were still nice to look at. You checked the closet and found that it was a walk in closet. There was a place for your shoes and your clothes compared to your last closet, your apparel was few in number. Probably needed to do a bit of clothes shopping just to make up for some of the space, but you could wait on that.

You stepped out right as Jack and the worker came out of the bathroom. He patted the man's arm, handed him a twenty and motioned you over to take a look at the bathroom. The room was polished to perfection and there was not only a massive tub with jets, but there was even a shower with different parts for the spray to come through. This entire bedroom had to be the fanciest one you were ever going to stay in.

"Like it? I made sure to look through the blueprints for our rooms and I wanted you to live like royalty. You deserve it for everything you've worked hard for. You're the Queen Bee...might as well live like one, you know?" You weren't sure you could agree fully with that, but you couldn't quite say no to a luxurious spa bathtub and a bed with soft enough sheets to make it feel like you were sleeping on a cloud. These missions could take a lot out of you, a nice bath and a long nap always sounded nice once you got back home.

"I mean, I guess...Jack, this all seems like so much. Are we the only ones in this place with these luxuries?"

"Oh–Pfft, yeah! We worked hard to get where we are. We deserve to live like Kings!" he turned to look at you, smirking all the while. "Or should I said Queen?"

You huffed. "Yeah, but Jack–" Reaching over, he gently cups your cheeks and turns so the two of you are staring into each others eyes.

"No buts, Queenie. You deserve this. Now why don't you go and get dressed and we can hurry and go get something to eat. I'm starving, I definitely know you are, and I think we both could use a drink after this new development, right?"

"I...yeah, a few drinks sounds about good right now." He chuckles.

"See? What'd I tell ya. Now I'll just escort these gentlemen out for a bit and you can get yourself all dressed up. They still need to work things out in my room, but I'll have them come back once they're done with my area. They'll leave probably around nine or ten, but we'll have finished taking a look around Helios by then." Guiding you out of the bathroom, he motions for all of the movers to put your things down and to move on to his quarters since you were going to be changing. They all shrugged and went about their business and Jack was polite enough to leave you alone to get yourself ready.

As you did that, Jack was suddenly called upon by his daughter. He kept his voice low and made sure no one was in the hall as they began their conversation.

"Are you going to tell her at dinner tonight?"

"I'm going to have to. I need her for the mission in the first place."

"Ah...not because of her skills, right?" That gives him pause.

"Well, I do need her skills, but it's more than that. I don't want her to be left alone here when things go down. With what we're going to be doing, we're bound to get some backlash."

"Working with Vault Hunters, you mean?"

"Yeah. Vault Hunters are practically beacons for trouble. Bandits from all over will want to figure out what they're up to and try to get in on the action. I don't want them ruining my plans."

Humming in understanding, Angel accessed a few files here and there before sending them to Jack's ECHO band. "Here are the replies from the Vault Hunters you hired. All of them will arrive on time just like you wanted. With (Y/n) here, there shouldn't be any problems with timing now."

Nearly bursting with joy, Jack saved the emails to be read for later and put aside his ECHO band to process this new development. "Everything's finally looking up! Angel, we'll finally get what we want in the end! And if all this works out...I think you can finally come out. (Y/n)'s definitely going to want to see you. Only thing I told her about you after the incident was that I sent you to a sort of boarding school to process everything. Man, was she pissed off at me when I told her that. We didn't talk for a good month until I had you do that postcard thing just to get her settled."

"...Why not just tell her the truth?"

"You've seen what she's like when she's mad, Angel. Much as I adore Queenie, she is my bestie...she can really make you think about what she's said. The moment she finds out about you, I won't be talking to her for a long time. And knowing her, she'll make sure I learn my lesson. Might even take you away just to teach me a thing or too. Who can say."

"Yeah, that sounds...so awful." She didn't sound convincing, but Jack hardly noticed it. Angel would give anything to be free for just a moment. After a few minutes to himself, Jack heard movement inside and gave a shake of the head.

"She's coming out. I'll contact you when the Vault Hunters arrive. Just gotta make sure I send down a rocket for them to travel up here as promised, but you know that if anything goes down on Helios, you push the big red button in your room and you'll instantly be put in lockdown. Your room won't show up on any maps and you'll be separate from the station. I won't risk anyone getting to you, Angel."

"I know, Jack. I have everything I'll need right here. You don't need to worry."

"Thank you, Angel." Once communication cut out, you came out wearing a nice little black dress with black flats. Make up done all nicely with light yellow eye shadow, some lip gloss and blush, Jack was left utterly speechless. Even your hair was styled up nicely and here he was feeling like hot garbage. They may need to head to his room just so he could change. He didn't want to look bad in front of you now that you dressed up like some Hyperion goddess. Could that ever be a thing? Noticing the stare, you couldn't help but let out a nervous chuckle as you held your purse close.

"Too much?"

"Uhh..." C'mon, Jack, you can do this. You're great with the ladies! "You look great! This is exactly what I had in mind when we were to go out and celebrate. I think I'm the one who should change, though. You're practically one-upping me here, (Y/n)."

You laughed and he melted, unbeknownst to you. "Please, you're always dressed up and making women flock to you like they're ravenous seagulls. Although, I guess with the sudden move for the both of us, planning is just a little bit all over the place. Why don't you give me the location of the restaurant and I'll meet you there when you're ready."

"You sure? We could just head over to my room and I'll be real fast–"

"Jack, I'll be fine on my own. Just put the location into my ECHO band and I'll meet you there. I could even get us a table while I'm at it. I mean, I have to get used to this place eventually, right?" You weren't wrong, and this would be the perfect opportunity for you to find your way around a bit. Besides, there were maps everywhere so getting lost shouldn't be much of a big deal.

"Okay, you go get us a table and I'll meet you in probably ten minutes. The people who work there know who we are, so we're bound to get the best seats in the house."

"Hope you're right, because eating by the kitchen door or restrooms is horribly unappetizing."

He laughed. "I'll call ahead to make sure. See ya in a bit, Queenie."

"See ya." Once the two of you split up, it was time for your adventure to begin. Let's see how this turns out.

It turned out a little more complicated that you had imagined. Helios was still under construction, so boxes and massive crates were still strewn about the halls, making finding your way a little difficult thanks to the added obstacles in your path. Half the time you had to go around another corner because a metal crate was blocking the hall and moving it just wasn't going to happen anytime soon unless you had the right equipment to move it. All in all, you did manage to find your way to the restaurant, but you paused when you saw a yellow Claptrap trying to get in. The worker at the front merely kicked the poor robot aside and said bot shot up and ranted how the "fleshy meatbag" would rue the day he ever picked a fight with General Claptrap!

Just as the bot began to roll away, he stopped at the sight of you. It didn't take long for him to roll on over and make you his new plaything.

"Hey, I know you!" The Claptrap exclaimed in his excitable voice that most of the bots had. "You're working with my creator! The Queen, right?"

"Your creator? You mean Tassiter? I work for him, but I'll be here on Helios for a little bit-"

"No, no, no, I mean Handsome Jack! He's the guy who reprogrammed me for combat! In fact, I'm expected to work with him and a few people on a mission tomorrow, so I hope you're ready. We don't need slackers on the team, even if you are a Queen. Jack made it clear that this mission was everything!"

This was...you couldn't even describe what this little guy was talking about. A mission? Jack willingly had his own Claptrap unit? And what did he mean by having a team come over? But before you could even ask what the Claptrap was talking about, a familiar voice cut in and the little robot let out a yelp and rolled away, making an excuse that he had somewhere he needed to be.

"(Y/n)! Hey, was that robot bothering you?" His tone was light, but there was an edge to it. That set off warning sirens inside your head, but you didn't question it just yet. If Jack knew what you did, he would shut you out in an instant. The man liked to keep his secrets close to the chest, but considering you would be involved in this so called mission, that meant he would have to tell you sooner or later...right?

"Uh...no, not really. He was asking me whether or not I could get him into the restaurant. Kind of silly since he can't really eat, but it's the thought that counts." It was the best cover up you could think of, but you made it sound believable. Jack seemed to buy it, at least. Wrapping an arm around your waist and giving a shrug, he led the two of you towards the restaurant with a smirk.

"What a stupid robot. Just forget about him and let's focus on us right now, okay?" Heading inside and walking up to the waiter at the podium, Jack gave his name and the man immediately got two menus and led you both to the back. This booth had a candle in the middle and it was very hidden away from the rest of the people inside. Most of them were soldiers who were enjoying the bar area, but other than that it was just you and Jack. This felt...strangely more intimate than a friendly dinner to celebrate how far the two of you had come when it came to the corporate ladder. Was this a date? No, it couldn't be. The two of you were best friends and Jack was already dating Moxxi, so it couldn't be that.

Deciding to push the thought aside, you picked up your menu and started to look through it while Jack ordered some wine for you and a scotch on the rocks for himself. The waiter left to get you your drinks and you finally put the menu down to snicker over the smile on Jack's face.

"Well...? What do you think?"

"It's not like the places on the last station, I can tell you that much. No more cafeterias, I take it?"

"Oh, definitely not. We eat nothing but the best food from now on, (Y/n). Like I said, we live like royalty now that we're on Helios. We've finally made it." You were about to respond, but the waiter returned with the drinks. Taking up your wine, you took a quick sip and Jack thanked the man before asking him if he could give the two of you some time to figure out what you both wanted for dinner. He left and you put the glass down.

"This is all so weird. One minute we're the underdogs and then next we're living it up in fancy restaurants. We really came up in the world and at an alarming rate...How did we get here, Jack? How did we go from two desk workers to people now watching over a whole space station?" It didn't seem real and yet it was. It took years for the two of you to reach this point and yet everything just seemed to work out as if by pure luck. It was almost too good to be true. That thought stayed with you for a while until you finally brought the menu up again.

Jack, who noticed the inquisitive look on your face, pulled up his own menu and snickered. "Yeah, it took a lot of hard work, but here we are. Finally we're living like royalty, just like we deserve." Nothing was said much at that point until the waiter returned. Jack ordered his dish and you settled on some lasagna with a side salad. Taking up the menus and leaving, the waiter went to get your meals and that just left you and Jack again. You two were close friends, so how come you felt so awkward? You both usually ate together all the time up at the last station, so why was this so different? Maybe it was the setting. Yeah, that had to be it.

"You know, you're never usually this quiet," Jack brought up after sipping his drink. "Usually you're telling me how crappy your shift at work had been. You would have just gotten a call from some employer about a product of ours and the numbers being wrong from his end or something. You would always have to fix the issue since someone down there was too stupid to get it right in the first place, but there you would be, just typing away as the caller would shout at you. Now it's like we don't talk much anymore and it's only been what––about a month or so? What's up with that?"

He had a point. It's not like us to just stop talking because of work. We always made sure to find time for each other, considering we were the only people we could stand on the station. Hyperion is a place full of liars and users and if someone out of your circle of friends talked with you, it was for a specific reason. Usually that reason was dangerous and would end with you staring down the barrel of a gun. Jack was kind enough to warn you about this ahead of time. It definitely wasn't like the Jakobs Corporation. Speaking of which, you should call them and your folks. They must be wondering how you're doing these days.

"I know. Everything's just been so sudden, especially for me. Like you said, before I would be in a kiosk taking up calls and making sure that all the numbers were correct with the customer's orders. These people buy our products in bulk, after all. Still, it's not the life I imagined I would be living and suddenly it's like all of my dreams are coming true. I feel more alive than I ever thought was possible and I honestly have you to thank for that. You never gave up on me, Jack."

"Course not, Queenie, you're my best bud. It's what we do for each other."

"Definitely, so if you ever need anything, just know I'll be there for you when you need me." The two of you raised your glasses and with a clink, you downed the rest of your wine. Jack...he stared and continued to smile.

"You promise, (Y/n)?" That gave you pause. Why did he sound like he was gearing up to say something?

"Yes, you know I'm always serious when it comes to you. Judging by that tone, you already have something in mind. Well, go ahead. Spill. Tell me what it is you want me to do." Now that you had the connections being the Queen Bee and all, it probably wouldn't take long to manage. It was at this moment that you notice Jack practically change before you. Not literally, but the air about him was different. It wasn't the relaxed, charming fellow you've known for years, but instead this side was serious, nothing but business. He still wore a smirk, though. That would never change.

"I've actually got a project under development. It's a real big project, kinda off the record from the rest of the company." That's usually a red flag to you, but this was Jack we're talking about. He wouldn't do something risky, right? Actually, let's not go there. "(Y/n), what if I told you that I was in the process of discovering one of the biggest, most renowned treasures of all time?"

You furrowed a brow. "Jack, what are you–?"

"I know where to find a Vault, (Y/n)." Now that was something you hadn't expected. It practically stopped you cold and everything within you felt as heavy as stone. A vault? The kind of vaults with treasures untold? The kind that the ancient Eridians left behind for all of us to discover for some unknown reason? Jack couldn't have found one. It just wasn't possible.

"No," I murmured outright. "No, that's just not possible, Jack. They're hidden for a reason. They're legends! Not only that, but don't you need these specific keys just to open them?"

"Exactly, and just recently a couple of Vault Hunters found a specific vault key and managed to open one of their vaults. Sadly, they never got to go inside and actually get the treasure inside, but I know how and where we can get to a second one." It looked like he was about to show you more details from his ECHO band, but the waiter returns with a tray and he put his arm aside. "We'll talk about it after dinner."

With your meals before you and looking as appetizing as it was listed on the menu, the two of you began to eat. Small talk was passed around every now and again, but your mind wandered back to what Jack had said before. He actually found a vault? A real Eridian vault that held treasures one could only imagine were inside. Everything felt like you were in some sort of sleep paralysis. You were aware of everything that was happening, but you didn't feel like you were in control of your own body. So when you both finished eating and Jack paid, he offered you his arm to lead you back to his office to give you further details.

After making sure the door was locked behind you both, he walked over to his desk and pulled up the screen. A few more button pushes and the massive window was slowly covered until the entire room was dark. A hologram appeared in the middle of the room and suddenly you were staring face to face with Pandora's moon.

"Elpis...?"

"Yep. That's where we'll find the next vault. I have a team of specialists coming in to help us find it and once we do, we'll practically own Hyperion." The uncertainty from before returned.

"Own Hyperion?! Do you know how impossible that would be? Besides, even with this information, do you honestly think that Tassiter would just let you take his place?" That man would go down the day someone decided to kill him. He would never give up his position so willingly, regardless of whether someone just found a vault or not.

"He will if the Board of Directors sided with me. If I show them a Vault and bring back some of the resources from inside, they'll have to promote me. Besides, you and I both know that Tassiter is an awful boss. Hyperion has been in stand still for ages, but if I was the one running it, I could actually make some kind of a difference." Taking a step towards the hologram, you watched as Jack pulled up several more details to his plan, including the information he acquired about this supposed vault and the people who would be joining in his cause.

"What difference are you hoping to make once you get your hands on the things inside the vault?" He was quiet for a moment and as you read over the descriptions of each candidate, he finally answered you.

"I'm going to bring peace to Pandora." You swiftly turned to meet his gaze. He was actually serious about this. Holy shit...

"You do realize the odds of that happening are slim to none, right? Even with what you find in the vault, Pandora will always just end up some bandit ridden wasteland. We've been down there, we've seen it. Why would you even want to bother with that place, anyways?"

"Well, I figured since it's closest to Helios, it would be the best place to start. That and considering it's the worst of all the planets out there, this place is a gold mine of opportunity." Your head was beginning to hurt. You just needed a second to rationalize everything before losing your mind. Taking a seat at the nearest sofa, you leveled him with a look of your own, one that said you were taking this all seriously just as much as he was.

"...Is this about Angel and your wife?" You knew treading towards that territory was a dangerous one. Jack hated when people brought them up. He would look so cold and get so angry. What happened to the two of them was tragic. The day you found out what happened to your other close friend and their daughter broke your heart enough to cry for the whole family the moment you returned home from the funeral. Jack never knew this–you had felt it was for the best he never found out, but still if this is why he was going to go into the vault, you weren't sure you would want any part in it.

Just as you had expected, his expression hardened, but it quickly relaxed. Much as he wanted to hurt something at the very mention of his wife, he knew that you didn't deserve that. Besides, he trusted you. You were his friend and you were just concerned. That's why you even brought the two of them up, much as he hated discussing it.

"No, this has nothing to do with them. I just want people to live on a planet where they aren't constantly on edge or looking over their shoulders. If you lived down there, you would want the same thing! Hell, (Y/n), you're from Eden-6! You know exactly what that kind of life it's like from the planet you were born on." Much as he made a valid point, this still felt wrong.

"I just don't know, Jack. How do you plan on bringing peace to a place overrun with bandits? Going to try to appeal to their humanity and hope they listen to you?"

He laughed. "Hell no! They lost all their humanity the moment they decided to murder their first victim. No, I'll figure it out. All I need is to get in that vault. Besides, bringing peace to Pandora and maybe even the galaxy is a dream that'll take years to put into fruition. Right now, all I want to do is get into that vault and become the new CEO of Hyperion. It needs better leadership and I have a lot of great ideas to make our company the best of the best. The kind of company that people will look up to as the savior of the entire galaxy! You'll be part of this too. The Queen Bee of Hyperion...I think it has a nice ring to it, don't you?"

"Jack, are you trying to change the subject here?"

"Maybe," he shrugged. "Is it working?"

"..." You turned your attention back to the files, looking over the names of the people who would be helping Jack in this endeavor. "You sure we can trust these people on this? They won't go and stab us in the back along the way? This is a vault we're talking about, and everyone knows that there's a lot on the line if you ever find yourself on your way towards one."

Walking up to stand at your side, he smirked and looked over the files with you. He had you right where he wanted you, but you both knew that this was inevitable. A friendship like yours could never be shattered. Besides, how could you resist such a promising adventure? It called to you just as much as it did him. "I made sure to look into as much information as I could with all of them. You know that Claptrap you ran into before I showed up? He's part of the roster."

"Really? I thought you hated Claptraps."

"Oh, I do," he admitted. "Figured he would be good for cannon fodder while the rest of you actually did the real work. Compared to the other Claptraps, this one doesn't come with a nickname. He's just called Claptrap." That was kind of sad. You were gonna give him a nickname.

"And the others? What are they like?"

"Well, there's Athena, Nisha, my doppelganger and Wilhelm. They'll be flying in tomorrow to discuss the plans in further detail, but you can get to know them more once they arrive." Arm around your waist, he pulled you aside so the holograms would disappear and the windows could open once more, revealing the beautifully haunting sight of Pandora once again. "Right now, I think it would be best if the two of us got some rest. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. I'll make sure your gear is sent to you first thing in the morning and that we go over some battle plans for Elpis."

You snorted. "You sound like you expect an army to just show up and ruin everything? This is the moon we're talking about. Besides, you're the first one to possibly discover a vault up on Elpis...who else would know?" He didn't say much after that, but he gave another shrug and lead you out of the office and showed you back towards your room. Much as this was a very insightful look into just what Jack had been doing while you were busy being a hitwoman, you had to admit that the prospect of all of this sounded fun. Besides, doing this with Jack? Finding an actual vault of all things together? That sounded very promising.

"Guess I'll see you tomorrow, partner?" Jack stared down at you, a little surprised. Though he had been confident before with your cooperation, he hadn't actually expected you to agree to go along with it. At least not verbally.

"You'll actually join me on this?"

"Well, yeah. Someone has to look out for you when you go all gung-ho out on Elpis. As wild as you act, you're not exactly the best out by yourself~" Your cheeky remark only earned you a smile and a nudge.

"Shut up, I'm well equipped for space than you are. Still, happy to know you're joining me with this. It...yeah, it means a lot, okay? God, look at all being all mushy and crap. Is this what friends always do? Should I even like that it's like this now?" You nudged him back and he actually let out one of his true laughs. It's rare to hear and it was kind of wild like him, but it fit just right.

"Shut up. Have a good night, Jack."

He backed away, arms behind his back and an impish grin on his face. "Sweet dreams, Queenie." With that, you shut the door and got ready for bed. On the way back to his room, Handsome Jack was practically on Cloud-9. He never expected you to go along with something as outlandish as this. Usually you were the more sensible one of the two of them. You liked to look at the situation from all sides before jumping head first into a mission. That's why you had been perfect as Tassiter's bodyguard and why you're definitely perfect to help him achieve his main goal. Together, the two of you would make a difference to the universe, just like it deserved. No more fear, no more violence, just peace and harmony like it should be.

Still, there was a lot more work to be done. He had noticed it before leaving for Helios. Just the other night, he had gotten some very threatening messages from the Dahl Corporation about how he needed to stay off of Elpis. Even Pandora was added onto the list in big bold letters like they knew he had been looking into the details from there as well. Of course he had, anyone with eyes would have noticed the events that took place on Pandora, but why aim for him specifically? Did they figure out what he was up to? He figured Angel had covered his tracks good enough to not have any of this questioned.

No, everything was fine. He was just overthinking again. Maybe they figured out he had taken control of the station and felt like threatening the new guy, because corporate competition and whatnot. It was annoying, but he could deal with it. Changing out of his suit and into his sleepwear, he hopped into bed, turned off the lights and stared out the window to take in the view of Pandora. Soon the crew he picked out would fly up to Helios and then they would all investigate Elpis together to finally head into the vault and tame all of what lied inside of it. He knew he would have to tell (Y/n) about the vault monster waiting inside, but that was best left to be mentioned at another date and time. For now, he needed rest.

He didn't know at the time, and he probably never would until too late, but tomorrow would be the beginning of the end. Let's see if he's ready to face it.


	6. Welcome to Elpis!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not posting in a while. This whole quarantine is making it hard to think of anything to write, but I'm not giving up on any of my stories! Please enjoy the chapter~!

Waking up the next day, you had gotten ready to start patrolling the station with the other soldiers. As the new Head of Security, you had to look over security footage, make sure everything was running smoothly with construction and check up on Jack just to make sure he wasn't in some kind of danger–either to the station or himself. Geared up, you stepped out of your room and went to go find the man for any updates. He had said that the Vault Hunters would arrive sometime today, so you might as well make the place accommodating for them. You found Jack in his office, typing away at his computer. More than likely he was writing up status reports to Tassiter about the stations progress. That or the other Vault Hunters and how he was waiting for them on the station. You weren't sure what he could possibly be saying on that screen, but you knew you had a job to do. That's all that mattered.

"Busy as usual. Do you ever stop to relax, big guy?" Peeking over the screen to look at you, Jack smiled and closed everything down.

"Speak for yourself, cupcake, I'm over the moon right now. I couldn't possibly be happier than I already am. This is probably going to be the best mission we've ever been part of," he says while moving around to take in your outfit. "Have you been getting upgrades? I don't think I remember you wearing a mask?"

"Yeah, the tech designers upgraded the targeting systems to them so now I have this mask. Though it only covers my eyes and not the rest of my face, it still keeps my identity well hidden. Surprising how nobody has figured out who I was yet."

Jack doesn't look so convinced. "I'm sure someone out there recognized you, they just decided not to say anything, which is probably the smartest thing they could ever possibly do." Which made some sense. Perhaps the person was holding onto the information just to use it for blackmail later. Did your parents already know? It was hard to say without any proof otherwise. "Regardless of that, the Vault Hunters will arrive at docking station A. I want you to meet them there and bring them to my office as soon as you can. We have to be quick about this."

"Why?" you asked. That's when you noticed a look come across his face. It was akin to concern and hesitation. "What happened?"

"...Dahl might know what we're up to."

"What?!" he went back over to his desk to pull up the email. "How could Dahl already know what we're planning? We haven't even started looking into the vault and you're pretty good and covering your tracks when you hack!"

"I know, I don't know how they know but they've been sending me threats." Pulling up the first email, you read it through and sneered at the end of it. "I don't know who this Zarpedon chick is, but she's really got it out for me. She sent me another email just this morning too and I don't like the implications." Pulling up the next one, you read that over too and shivered.

"...Jack, she outright said she was coming to Helios!"

"Really? Because what are the odds she would actually go and do that?" The alarms went off right as he finished that sentence and the two of you groaned.

"Pretty high. Damn it, Jack!" Rushing out, Jack followed behind you once he made sure to jump start the security protocols and send all the vault information he had to his ECHO band just so he could erase it all from his servers. Like hell would he let these Dahl bastards get their hands on it.

"How was I supposed to know they would actually go through with it?!"

"It's DAHL! They're nothing but military eggheads, of course they would go through with it!" The two of you were on high alert at this point. Your sniper rifle in your hands and Jack at your side with his wrist blasters, you were both totally at a loss on where to go from here. "When did you say these Vault Hunters were coming? The guards here aren't cut out for a full on assault like this."

"About half an hour? Maybe less. Look, I need to head down to start up the defense systems. Helios is outfitted with a ton of turrets, laser wires, the works. That should be able to even our odds a bit, but I need you to do something real quick for me while I do that."

"Meet the vault hunters down by the docks?"

"No, I'll contact them once they get here and have them come join up with me at the security systems. I need you to get some files that are over at R&D for me. The stuff they have there are far too important for Dahl to get their hands on. I'm talking weapon schematics, research papers, all the stuff that'll get us ahead of the curb. The files you're going to get are labelled "VM-001". Once you get your hands on them, I want you to head out and lock down all of the important sectors of R&D. No one gets in and no one gets out." This is the first time you've ever heard Jack sound so professional and serious. You might like it.

"Got it. Will our scientists and engineers be safe until we figure out a way to get Dahl out of here?"

Making a small "so-so" gesture, he nods. "Yeah, they should be fine for a while. The station has secret ration caches hidden all over the place for emergencies like this. Might have put most of them near our rooms, but they'll be okay...maybe." You decided not to argue with that. You could only hope that those scientists found them before it was too late. Right as you both made it to the elevator, explosions could be heard around the station. One was so strong that it nearly knocked you both right down. Jack was there to keep you upright and pushed the button for you both to head down.

"My stop comes up first. Once you get that file, I need you to meet me at the escape ships. We have to be quick about this, (Y/n) or we're both screwed."

"Yeah, I'm not looking forward to facing any of Dahl's soldiers anytime soon. Their weapons can hit pretty hard, Jack." Your only solace was that you had good enough shields to keep you safe long enough to get those files. You might need to call upon your drones just to even the playing field a bit. Once the elevator came up, the two of you hopped on and pushed the buttons to the floors you needed to get to. You didn't like the thought of leaving Jack alone to handle the defense systems, but you knew he was capable of handling himself in tough situations. You could only pray that you got the files and went back to him before it was far too late.

When the elevator stopped, dread finally hit you. Just as he was about to step off, you grabbed his arm. He knew what this was about, but he turned and waited for you to get whatever it was you were feeling off your chest. "Jack, you call me if things get too hectic, alright? I'll come right back to you if you need me."

His smile was warm, if not a little strained. The entire station was still shaking with each new explosion, so it was hard to keep calm during that. "I'll be fine, Queenie. You just focus on staying alive out there. I can't lose you to some Dahl hacks who think they're tough shit." Finally leaving your hold, he stepped off and sent you a thumbs up. "Now tear these guys a new asshole! Let's show them what Hyperion is made of!" The doors closed and that would be the last you would see of him until you both met up at the escape ships.

The ride down to R&D was as you expected it to be. Though the elevator music played, the station shaking with each new round of explosions did nothing to ease your nerves. The entire time you wondered how these people knew what Jack's plan was. Either someone tipped them off or he had been bugged this entire time. That wouldn't make any sense, though. Not even you knew about his plan, so how is it that anyone else knew? Did Tassiter know? Would that be why the entire place was going to hell? You knew he hated the guy, but you didn't think he would go and send someone to kill him. You wouldn't have agreed to work for him if that were the case. Still, these questions would be best saved for later. Looks like you've made it to your first stop.

R&D looked like it was going to hell thanks to Dahl interference. Some of the creatures the scientists were studying had gotten out of their cages and were tearing into a few loader bots. You couldn't see any of the other scientists, but you couldn't focus on them at the moment. If you came across anyone in need of help, you would do so in an instant, but you couldn't leave Jack alone for longer than ten minutes or he would get into some kind of trouble. He had quite the knack for it.

The first thing you did was find the nearest console to search for the file. R&D had many sections to it, from wildlife studies to machinery and how they functioned. Typing in the file name, a map pulled up and circled the spot where you would find what you were looking for.

"Lab nineteen?" You had heard of all the other places on the map, but this one seemed relatively new to you. Still, you headed on over and found the doors to be sealed with some kind of coded lock. On the other side was a hand scanner, so you gave it a try. You were given access and you stepped right in to look for the file. The console inside was massive, but you found forms strewn about it like someone had been in a rush. You picked through the papers, reading over a few until you found what you were looking for.

The file wasn't heavy, but there were forms stashed inside, even a few clipped on photos from what you could see. Whatever this was, it was important to Jack for some strange reason. You were about to look inside, but you could hear movement from outside the door. Now wasn't really the time to study up on whatever research Jack was doing on the side. Placing it into your fluffy brown coat, you snapped your fingers and a drone poked its head out from atop the door. Seems those numerous tunnels Jack talked about were still working out alright.

"I need you to take a look outside the door and stream the footage to my ECHO band. I need to see just what I'm dealing with once I step out," you lightly ordered. The bee did as you asked and crawled back into the vent to help. It didn't take too long for you to pull up the footage and see what was going on outside of the lab. Seems a few of the soldiers were outside waiting for you to come out. Your guess was that one of them saw you walk in here and thought you would be an easy target. Obviously, these men didn't know who you were.

Changing the screen to the one commanding your drones, you targeted all four soldiers outside and launched an attack from where you were. The drones would act as a distraction while you made your escape. Your only hope was that the drones made it back to the vents in one piece. Turning back to the footage, you watched the chaos unfold. Their screams and shouts of surprise might have filled you with a sense of glee, though now wasn't the time to question why that bothered you. Instead, you rushed out of the lab, made sure the doors locked behind you and made your escape back to the elevator.

Gun fire could still be heard behind you, but you serpentine and flew as far as you could just to get away from the soldiers. You had to get back to Jack no matter what. He could be in danger for all you knew. Well actually, that was likely the case if those emails were anything to go on. Right as you made it into the elevator once more and pushed the button for the escape ships, the entire station shook harder than the last several times.

The creaking of the elevator didn't sound all that good, but it didn't relent. More than likely one more shake and it would go toppling down to the bottom. You really didn't want to be inside when that happened. Deciding now was as good a time as any, you contacted Jack to see how he was doing. He picked up on the first ring.

"GODDAMN LOST LEGION! PISS OFF!! (Y/n), did you get those files?!" You could hear more shouting and gunfire coming from his end. Seems he was having a rough time of it at the defense controls.

"Yeah, I did. Ran into a bit of a snag back there, but I got through it with the help of my drones. Take it you need a hand?"

"No, no, I'll be fine. I mean, I'm just being surrounded by a couple Dahl soldiers so that's hardly–"

 **BANG, BANG**!

"–Son of a goddamn––!! Hold on a second, cupcake~"

**BANG!** "Yeah, how'd ya like that, you son of a bitch?!" The footage shook and suddenly Jack was ducking behind the console as more gunfire flew over his head. "Anyway, glad you got the files." 

"Jack, you're practically surrounded down there! I'm heading over to help." You were just about to push the button there too, but he stopped you with another shout. You thought he had gotten shot, but it turns out he was the one making them. 

"No! Just head straight to the emergency escape ships like we talked about. I got reason to believe that the Vault Hunters made it to the station and are on their way right to me. Just get where you need to go!" 

"But Jack–" 

"No buts, Queenie. I'll be fine, just get to the nearest ship." You didn't have any time to argue with him more about the subject since he cut the call. Good time, considering you had just made it to your last stop. More soldiers seemed to be roaming the area, so you switched your rifle out with your pistol and started firing. You were met with some resistance, but you were a damn good shot for a reason. You left a trail of bodies behind you as you waited over by the doors for Jack and the others. Looking out the window, your heart nearly dropped to your stomach. Dahl practically brought an entire armada just to get to Jack. What did he call them? The Lost Legion? Whoever they were, they were starting to become a pain in the ass. 

You could even hear their leader on the intercoms. You weren't sure how she managed to get onto those, but she annoyed you. How dare she just barge in and try to take control of your new home. You wanted to face her and shoot her in the goddamn head, but there would be a time for that later. For now, you had to make a strategic retreat and try to figure out a plan of attack for another day. 

A few more shots to your right and you could hear someone coming over with hurried steps. You raised your pistol and were met with a few more weapons facing you, but these weren't Dahl soldiers. They looked like a mix match of oddballs, one of those oddballs looked very familiar. With a grin, you put your weapon away and rushed up to him, enveloping him in a hug. Jack...stiffened? 

"I'm so glad you're okay! God, we should have gone down to controls together. We're not splitting up ever again, buddy." 

"U-Uh..." The other people looked at you like you had grown a second head and you backed up to finally look them over. You stayed close to Jack, but he looked at you the same way the others did, though his face was redder than a ripe tomato. 

"Are you guys the Vault Hunters? Handsome Jack told me all about you. He and I are kind of in control of Helios at the moment, but as you can see it's all gone to shit. C'mon, the escape ships are just over there," you motioned while taking Jack's hand. He let out a nervous sort of giggle and you sent him an odd look. What was up with him? 

One of the guys–you believed his name was Wilhelm–sent you a smirk and patted Jack's back before moving ahead of you. Nisha, the sort of cowgirl looking hunter, just shook her head and pulled out a cigarette and followed behind him. Athena and Aurelia didn't seem to care and went on ahead and Claptrap actually laughed before rolling onto your other side, taking your free hand into his clawed one. But it's when everyone else left that you finally took notice to the other Jack standing in the back. He was smirking, but there was something dark in those eyes of his, which seemed to be burning holes in the back of the closest Jacks' head. You were at a loss. 

"I see you've gotten real comfortable with my doppelganger there, (Y/n). Didn't know you were that worried. I'm touched~" You ignored him and sheepishly let go of the other Jack. You finally took notice of more of his details. Though he wore the same outfit as the Jack you knew down to a T, he actually had some freckles on his strangely adorable and flustered face. This wasn't Jack at all. This was...Timothy. Yeah, Timothy Lawrence, the man who volunteered to act as your friend's doppelganger. This was going to be a confusing mission. 

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry for just jumping on you like that! I thought you were Jack." 

"N-no, no, it's fine. I figured that was the reason." He sounded so much more shy and sweet compared to Jack, who practically oozed confidence and charisma. It was weirdly endearing and you might want to hear more from this more bashful Vault Hunter. Although, you weren't sure if that was correct. Probably was ordered to do this or he would end up getting fired. Walking over to you, he offers up a hand for you to shake. You take it and smile up at him. "I'm...well, it rhymes with Jimothy." 

"Yeah, I read your file. I can't believe you went through a procedure like that. I'm more surprised he was hiring people for that sort of position to begin with. He acts like he has a ton of enemies." Jack stepped up and wrapped his arm around your shoulders, sending Tim a pointed look without you noticing. 

"Obviously I do if the Lost Legion wasn't proof enough. Let's get to those ships." Yeah, this place wasn't safe anymore and standing around talking wasn't helping. Following behind him, you both watched the doors open and stopped cold in your tracks when Colonel Zarpedon herself came out in a mech suit and shot down the ships that were just about to take off. Jack wasn't expecting that, but he opened fire anyway, along with everyone else. That was when some creature front flipped into your line of fire. It actually seemed to catch all of your bullets in midair like facing you all was child's play. Wagging a finger at you like a parent would in disapproval, it uttered the word "Naughty" at all of you and a chill ran down your spine. This wasn't good. 

You pulled Jack inside and shut the doors before either Zarpedon or that creature could get in. For some reason, it's stare made you feel cold all over. You knew it was looking directly at you when the doors shut, but you hadn't a clue as to why that was. Still, you weren't going to think too long about it. After all, your only chance of escape was gone thanks to that glowy eyed bitch and her mech. 

"Damn it, that was our only chance of getting off this station! Okay, gotta think, gotta think, uhh...okay, everyone follow me, I have a plan B." Jack turned and started making his way down another hall. You all followed behind again. Not like you wanted to stay and meet that alien again. 

"Jack, what the hell was that thing with the Colonel?" 

"Not sure, (Y/n). Wasn't willing to find out or it might have melted our brains or something. Kinda not into that, so let's avoid it at all costs, yeah?" Stepping up to the end of the hall, Jack stared out the window to take in the damage and that's when you both got a call from Tassiter. Of course it would be him; impeccable timing this one. 

"John, (Y/n), what the hell is going on down there?! I've gotten reports of extreme damage done to the station and even ships that aren't ours flying all over it!" Guess one of your guards tipped Tassiter off about the situation. It had to happen eventually. 

"Uh, nothing's wrong, sir! Everything's fine over here. One of the Claptraps was trying to make out with a light socket or something, you know how it is." Jack offered up. You weren't about to deal with the boss. Not while you all were trying to stay alive. 

"I swear if something is going on down there, I'll–!" You decided to hang up on the man before he could get further into detail. Now wasn't the time. 

"(Y/n), what did you just do?! Kick ass as it was, he might blow a fuse over that." 

"You and I don't have time to listen to his ranting. Right now, you need to help us off this station." 

"Right, right...Okay, come with me." Running outside of the room and out into the loading docks, he pointed towards the moon and sneered. "Something down there is jamming all of our super awesome defense systems and that just pisses me off. I'm not sure where exactly it's coming from, but someone is going to have to head down and take care of it as soon as possible. Once it's dealt with, I'll start them up and that should buy us some time to figure out how to get control of Helios again." 

From what you could see, you all were heading over to moonshot controls. Now, you didn't quite know why exactly the station had it built in from the get go, but Jack probably knew. You would need to ask him when things weren't so dire at the moment. The way through the Eye of Helios was wrought with more soldiers flying up to your group from their own ships. Several landed all around you and everyone practically went wild and spread out. Shots fired from left and right and all you could do was duck out of view and fire a few rounds at any of the soldiers who crossed your line of sight. 

The people Jack hired were actually very skilled in this department; killing, that is. Even the lone Claptrap unit was doing a decent job of taking out some of Dahl's men. Wilhelm seemed to have drones of his own and Nisha was a decent gunslinger with a whip at her side. One could pray she never used it on any of you. Athena was someone you actually thought you would admire. You had heard of her from the reports you had gotten from Tassiter, mostly a warning to stay away from her. Not that you worked for Atlas or anything that would trigger her into a blood rage, but fighting her over anything just never seemed to be in the cards. Part of yourself could be grateful for that. You didn't want to fight any of them now that you could see them in action. You wanted to work with them, especially considering a vault was on the line. 

The more deaths that piled up, the more you listened to Jack and Zarpedon argue back and forth through their ECHOs. Jack was about as much confused as you were and Zarpedon wasn't making understanding all of this any easier. She explicitly explained that she wanted the station and to save the universe. Why? What did this station have to offer that she wanted? It was only meant to observe Pandora and Elpis and that was it! What more could she want? You all went to the next section of the station and locked down the doors behind you. It would only slow them down for so long. 

"What is her deal?" you sneered, taking the lead to make sure no one else was ahead of you all. 

"I don't know, pumpkin, but we'll find out once we all get to the moonshot cannon." 

"Speaking of which," Aurelia spoke up from behind. "Why a moonshot cannon?" 

"Oh, it's basically a huge gun that shoots supplies down to the moon's surface like at about a thousand miles an hour. We're gonna get in one of those containers and escape that way." You nearly stopped dead in your tracks. Everyone sort of did the same. It was a very crazy plan, but Jack had an abundance of those. You would absolutely know. 

"Jack, you're going to risk putting the both of us in a deathtrap?!" 

Jack took a quick glance at you as he took the lead. "I mean...pretty cool way to die though, right?" 

"Not if I don't strangle you first." 

"Kinky." 

"I swear to god–" 

You all ran through the area, killed more Dahl workers and finally dropped down to the next level, where you were met with this mech using asshat calling himself Flame Knuckle. You all did quick work of him and his lackeys and worked your way up to the moonshot controls. Well, at least you could cross riding in a giant moonshot shell off your unlikely bucket list. Sadly, even more soldiers were lying in wait for you all. They actually managed to shoot at the controls, ruining them from automatic use. Jack cursed and kicked at a dead soldier before moving on to the vending machines on the side. 

"Well, I was hoping I wouldn't have to actually stay behind and arm this damn thing, but it seems like I'm going to have to. Okay, I'm going to prep the container. Everyone heal up, get your ammo and file in once it's set up." You watched them work, even got some ammo for yourself and stood by Jack's side as he set the container on the platform and let the Vault Hunters file in. The door remained opened. "(Y/n), get in." 

"....You've gotta be shitting me." 

"Nope. Get in." Jack typed away at the console some more, making it a point not to look at you. Yeah, you knew his game and you did not like it. 

"Screw you! I'm not leaving this station until you do!" He finally stopped to look at you, the others in the container watching in fascination or disinterest. You didn't care about them at the moment, all that mattered was Jack not getting his sorry ass killed up here. 

"(Y/n), we don't have time to argue about this. Someone needs to stay up here and make sure Zarpedon doesn't completely tear this place apart. That, and only one person can fire the cannon now thanks to Dahl and their terrible shots for soldiers!" You ignored how Jack kicked another body on the side. "Now get in." 

"How about you get in and I stay here?" 

"Hell no! Only someone who's tech savvy could survive up here and you couldn't break your way into a combination lock let alone security cameras!" Ouch. He was right, but ouch. "I am not losing you to a bunch of these idiots, now get in or I'm going to make you." 

The look you both shared was intense and very stubborn. Jack wasn't going to stand down and neither were you, but you knew that time was short. The station still quaked and you could practically hear the calls of other Lost Legion soldiers down at the bottom of the elevator. Eyes finally falling shut in defeat, you bowed you head. Jack didn't smile or even gloat over beating you in an argument. He knew how much you wanted to stay, how much you cared and wanted to keep him safe...and that's why this was so hard for either of you. Stepping away and down into the shipment container, you stopped just before entering. Raising your hand, you loaded up your Queen Bee abilities and signaled the drones. They all crawled out of the vents and into the open. One of them flew onto your arm and you poked right between its robotic eyes 

"Keep Jack safe for me while I'm away. I'll be back to the hive in no time. Make your Queen proud." All of them buzzed, seeming sad at your departure, but it's not like they could argue. Your word was law to them. Spike flew down and stuck to your side. He was probably your best drone, but you didn't say that aloud. You knew how competitive these bots could be when it came to your love and attention. "And no need to worry, Spike will be with me until I get back. You all do as I say!" That said, you hopped in and the door sealed shut behind you. Your poor drones swarmed around the container as it was loaded up, buzzing and flying by until you and the other vault hunters were loaded up into the moonshot shell. Part of you kinda wished for a seatbelt. 

"Loading you into the delivery chamber," Jack called from your ECHO band. "This is gonna be LOUD. And slightly awesome." You leaned against the wall as the container shook from the mechanism sealing the shell behind you. Was it still too late to argue with Jack about staying on the station? Staying felt better than flying out in a literal cannon. "Alright, we're ready to fire! Whenever you're ready, I'll shoot you to Concordia–it's the biggest town on Elpis. I know someone there who can help you find that jamming signal." 

"Moxxi?" She was the only one smart enough to know about this stuff, so it wouldn't surprise you. 

"I mean, yeah. But I have another friend there who could help us out. Get ready, everyone!" Jack gave you all little warning as the pod jerked from the sudden launch of the cannon. You screamed, Timothy screamed, Claptrap screamed, and everyone else just sort of shouted in fear. This was a one way trip and it could end in one of two ways. You were NEVER doing this again. Ever. 

You were the last to wake up inside the shipment container. Someone was speaking and she had a heavy accent; a familiar one you've heard many times before when you lived on Elpis. From what you could gather, she explained that once the pod doors opened, all the oxygen stored inside the container would come right on out and everyone (except for Claptrap) would start to suffocate. Athena, who actually had a mind to check on you, helped you stand up and gather your bearings. Yeah, you could definitely see a potential friendship forming with her. The Doppelganger, who you will call Tim from now on, checked to make sure you were doing all right too before he noticed how the others took their place by the entrance. He nodded his head at you and waited in anticipation. 

Doing the same, everyone sucked in as much air as they could into their lungs and opened the pod. You were all knocked right off your feet from the change in pressure from the moon's lack of air, but you didn't let that stop you. The woman who had spoken to you on the side offered a smile and motioned for everyone to follow behind her. You weren't quite sure what it was she was wearing that was helping her breathe, but you were definitely getting one if you all were trapped on the moon for the foreseeable future. 

The trip to her shop was the worst experience of your life. Part of you kind of wished that you had actually landed on Pandora instead of Elpis. At least that place had air. Everyone else gathered themselves the moment they were in a safe place and you...you were too focused on Helios. You could see it just outside, way up in the stars. Jack was still up there somewhere, probably getting shot at or beaten up or maybe even pulling out all the odds and surviving with your drones at his side. He better be okay. 

"Take it you're one of them Hyperion folk from way up there!" The chipper voice startled you. Her name was Janey Springs from what she rambled out earlier. "Figured you lot would stay up there indefinitely. Rare to find any of you down with the rest of us." 

"Uh...yeah, I guess you could say I didn't have much options. Still, I never liked staying cooped up on the station for too long." A light lie, but again you hardly had a choice. You worked up on stations like that because that's what Hyperion demanded. Every other place was either too dirty or too reckless. Space just seemed the safest bet. "Thank you so much for helping us, Miss Springs. It means a lot."

She waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, don't you worry your pretty head about that. I honestly thought you were scrap being unloaded down onto the moon, but if a person's in need, I'm more than happy to help! Now, what brings you lot down to Elpis?"

"We're on a mission. Helios station is being overrun by Dahl and I need to get to Concordia to find someone who could help us locate their jamming signal. It's blocking out the security measures up there and my friend needs help getting them back online." She considers what you said and gives a slow nod, arms crossing as she contemplates what to say next. 

"Condordia, eh? That's a long ways from here. Won't make it without gettin' yourselves an Oz kit." 

"Oz kit? Is that what you were using outside earlier?" 

"Yeah! They're really O2 kits, but we call 'em Oz instead since the two looks like a Z. I know just where you can find a couple, but you'll need to go down a ways until you reach an old Dahl bunker just out in the distance. I'll log it into your ECHO's if you need help findin' the way. Just keep your guards up and remember to get some air when you really need it. There's a lot of Kraggon's out and about, so make sure you're ready to face them." Kraggon's...you remembered them, but you lived on one side of Elpis where there were actually few of them. You'd only been to Concordia a few times, but even then you still never went near any of the creatures residing on the moon. Still, to end up finding creatures inside after drilling a few holes...just what was Dahl thinking? It's no wonder a lot of their stuff was abandoned these days. They made quite a mess of the place. 

"Alright, sounds easy enough. And once we do get these Oz kits, will you help lead us to Concordia?" 

"Of course! If anyone can help with this jammin' business, it's The Meriff." 

"The...Meriff?" 

"Yeah, he's head honcho of Concordia. Kinda a Mayor and Sheriff, but he stuck with Meriff to make it easier. Stupid, I know, but what can ya do?" Nodding your head in understanding, you went over to the others and got ready to go out again, but Janey came up fast. "Actually, there's something I forgot to explain..." 

You stopped to listen. "Yes?" 

"See, there's this guy, calls himself Deadlift. He leads a band of scavengers–we call 'em Scavs here–and the guy took somethin' kinda important to me and important to you too. He took my digistruct key and now I can't load up any of my moon zoomy's! They're basically cars on the moon. If you get that digistruct key, your trip to Concordia will be easier for the lot of ya and killin' Deadlift will make my day! I call that a perfect win-win." 

"So we get the Oz kits, find this Deadlift guy, get the digistruct key from him and then we'll be on our way to Concordia?" 

She nods. "Yep. Sure beats walkin' there by a mile. So what do ya say? I scratch your back and you scratch mine?" Janey was right about one thing, having a vehicle would sure beat walking the entire way. Besides, walking left your group open to attacks from all sides, so this shouldn't take too long. 

"Yeah, sounds good. I'll let the others know what's going on and we'll be on our way." When she went off to do her own thing, you went back over to the group to let them know what the plan was. A lot of them seemed indifferent to what you were saying, but Athena, Claptrap and Timothy were at least paying attention to you. Everyone was given the coordinates to their ECHO's for both the Oz kits and Deadlift's hideout. You all went for the kits first since Deadlift's hideout was a great distance away from Janey's garage. 

The way there wasn't too bad. All you had to do was find spots where oxygen leaked out of the moon and keep an eye out for Kraggons. They were made of rock and lava and could kill you with just the right amount of incentive if they tried. When you all reached the bunker, Athena and Nisha were trying to figure out how to open it and the rest of you were keeping the Kraggons at bay. Didn't help that once you destroyed the bigger ones, little ones emerged from their rocky remains. 

When they finally figured it out, you all stormed the building and took whatever loot you could find before finally getting the Oz kits. Breathing real air for once was a welcomed relief. At least now you all wouldn't die on the moon. Janey had some other tasks and such she asked for help with when she arrived, but you decided to let some of the others take care of that. You had to get to Concordia as soon as possible. Jack was still up on Helios and he could be hurt or worse for all you knew. You stepped out while the others remained in the bunker to listen to Janey. Only one person noticed you leave and followed after you. 

You could hear their footsteps follow after yours and you let out a sigh. "I'm not trying to get ahead with her chores if that's what you're wondering. I just want to get the digistruct key and then be on my way to Concordia." 

"O-Oh no, I wasn't assuming that!" You stopped and turned to look at Timothy. It was hard to look at him without thinking of Jack, but it was still a welcome sight all the same. "I wanted to see how you were doing. You didn't look too happy back there." 

"If you were in my shoes, you wouldn't be too happy either. My best friend is up there fighting for his life and I'm over here running errands for a girl who can't be bothered to do it for herself. Generous she may be, we're on a tight enough schedule as is." 

"I understand that, Miss (L/n), but we're going to need some currency if we're going to make it up here. Some of the odd jobs may help our cause." Timothy had a point. "I know you're worried about Jack up there, but I'm sure he'll manage." 

"Really?" you snorted. "The man thrives when chaos is about, and if it isn't happening then he'll sure cause it. He's just a different kind of talented than what most people would call normal." 

"I know as much as anyone that Handsome Jack is far from normal. If he was, he wouldn't need me around." You both shared a laugh at that. Again, he made a valid point. 

You shrugged. "Still, I wouldn't have him any other way. He makes things a little more exciting on the station, even the one we worked at before Helios. My life would probably remain as stagnant as it had been before if it wasn't for him. I kind of owe him my life for all that he's done for me." 

Side by side, you two followed the map on your ECHOs. You could hear the others behind you not too far behind. "What do you mean? Did you rescue him from some bandit? You look just about ready to face the world with the kind of tech you're wearing. Probably the most advanced I've ever seen Hyperion produce for anyone." 

"Oh yeah, this getup is all pretty recent. Before I became Hyperion's Queen Bee, I was just another accountant like the rest of them. I took phone calls, filed reports, all of it. It was Jack who showed me that R&D was working on some new equipment and needed only women to come down to run it. A lot of people died that day, but I was the only one who managed to survive. And then the rest is history. So yeah, I owe Jack a lot for even getting me this position in the first place. If it wasn't for his insistence, I would still be in cubicle hell listening to some bastard shout at me over the phone about "how his order wasn't showing up" or how another person died because our weapons were "faulty", which I know is just them saying that they shot themselves in the foot and wanted to blame us for their mistake." You couldn't even begin to count how many of those calls you got in a day. Why were these idiots even buying a gun in the first place? It was ridiculous. 

"Huh...sounds like you two are really close. Guess you weren't kidding about being best friends." He offered up a smile and you finally turned to look at him. Your heart might have skipped a beat at the sight. It's so odd seeing a sincere smile on such a familiar face. Jack was known to smirk, but never smile. When he did, it had been for Angel or his wife, but you both always joked about too much for you to earn a smile like that. When you did, it was rare and usually he had been way too shitfaced to recall that he had done it. This was going to take some getting used to. 

When the others finally caught up, you had made it all the way to the next section of the moon. Getting to Deadlift's hideout would require a courageous leap off of a pressure pad. Timothy flinched back at the sight of it. 

"What's wrong?" you asked him. 

"I-I'm not exactly a huge fan of heights..." Oh no. 

"Tim, this rock is covered with pressure pads like this. You sure you're going to be alright throughout this mission?" 

"No–I mean yes! I can do this, I just...I might need a little push is all. No big deal." He took a step closer as if to get ready and you couldn't help but chuckle. A little dorky, but he was cute, you'll give him that. Athena stood at your side, watching the spectacle with a sigh. 

"He's going to get himself hurt at this rate," she commented. "Really think he'll be able to get through this without crying in a corner somewhere?" 

"Who can say?" you replied. "He's got the gear and knows how to use it from what I saw earlier. We'll just have to trust that he can get by without getting into too much trouble. Besides, you have to admire his strength a bit. At least he's trying." 

She nods. "Over heard what you both were saying, though. You and Jack are best friends?" 

"Yeah, I've known him since we both were hired into Hyperion in the first place. I was looking to work there from the start and he had been an intern at the time. Sadly, Hyperion makes interns do an interview just to get hired at all. They have to be certain you're serious about getting a spot in their company." 

She sneers. "Sounds like a load of crap." 

"I thought that too, but then we got hired. Our jobs were not the best at first, but Jack managed to work his way up and now he's leading the Helios project. I managed to get a position as Head of Security before all this Dahl stuff happened." It was literally only yesterday. How could either of you have not seen this coming? 

"Considering what we've heard of Jack down on Pandora, he should be fine until we get those jamming signals out of the way. You shouldn't worry so much, even if he is your best friend. Have some faith in him. Besides, it sounded like he had some for you when you became who you are today." She walked ahead to try the pressure pad and you stood there watching the two who seemed like the more friendlier bunch of the group. You supposed you should heed her advice. Jack could take care of himself. He was skilled and cunning to boot...he would fight to survive. 

Taking a deep breath, you went to follow them, but stopped short when you all witnessed how the pressure pad sparked and shut off as if by itself. You knew better, though. Using the comm systems, Deadlift practically seemed to laugh at you all from his hideout. You had nearly forgot that just before coming here, Zarpedon had been a total ass and lied to the man, saying that we thought his jump pads were stupid. You were indifferent to them and only found them useful to get to higher places. Other than that, they were useless. Ignoring his mocking words, you went to look for a way to turn on the power. Luckily, Janey seemed to have an idea on how to get it running again by checking the Geothermal Substation not too far from Deadlift's base. Downside...it would require one of you to act as a sort of conduit for the electricity. You all voted Claptrap. Much as you adored the little robot, you and everyone else just couldn't risk a horrible rush of electricity going through you. It was too lethal for your fleshy bodies and Claptrap could be fixed. 

With that aside, you all rushed back into battle. More and more of Deadlift's men fell by your bullets and soon you all were surrounded by corpses. You looted for extra ammunition and followed the others who leapt up into Deadlift's base. More ammo was inside, along with another New-U station. A little foreboding, but you wouldn't think much of it. Timothy and Athena took either side of you and the others went up ahead. You checked to find Claptrap still following a little behind you. Still a bit buzzed from acting as a circuit, but you offered him a thumbs up and he waved, just happy to have helped. You would need to reward him for that later. 

Making it to the center of the base, Deadlift appeared in all his ridiculously massive glory. Gauntlets surging with electricity, armor all over him and an excessive amount of jump pads all around...yeah, this wasn't going to be particularly easy. The moment he came out, everyone rushed to all corners of the place to look for safe places to start firing away. Timothy took a little more time to actually get on a jump pad, but he managed and started firing at a few of the Deadlackeys, as you like to call them now. The more confident of the bunch either covered others or went after Deadlift. You decided to take a more cunning approach. 

It took a mix of your wings and jump pads to reach the highest point to that bunker. Raising your sniper rifle, you prepped it and took aim. Athena and Aurelia seemed to be taking shots at a few of the lackeys and Wilhelm and Nisha rushed Deadlift, tearing away at his shields and armor to get at the man inside. Claptrap and Timothy were working together just to stay alive, but they were doing pretty well...even with Claptraps very unique ability that either worked with or against him. He'll need to get that looked at later on. For now, you had an obnoxious Scav to take out.

His shields went lower and lower until they were down. His health started to follow suit, but all of that stopped when he punched the ground hard enough to sent the others back and down to the bottom of the base. Damn, there's a lot of power in those gauntlets.

"YOU ALL THINK YOU CAN BEST ME? DEADLIFT! I'LL WIPE YOU HYPERION SCUM SUCKERS CLEAR OUT OF HERE AND THEN EVERYONE WILL KNOW THE NAME OF DEAD--!" He wasn't able to finish when you found your mark. A single shot was all it took and the man was down, a bullet hole straight through his brain. His goons stood and stared in confusion, until one by one they all seemed to fall as well. When the last one was dead, you hovered down and took your place with the rest of the group, who seemed to be even more impressed now than they had been before. Even the Cynical Three were smirking in your direction. 

"Not bad, Princess," Wilhelm grunted while cocking his gun. "Guess this is why Jack called you the best guard Hyperion had to offer." 

"Guard, assassin, partial voice of reason, it's all the same to me, really." 

Aurelia spoke up and strangely felt along the material of your outfit. "So this is what the people of your company call fashion? Darling, we'll need to fix this straight away. I'll take you to the best shops in all of space, just so long as you get rid of those boots. Way off color." They were black boots. Did she want them to be yellow or--? 

Nisha cut your train of thought off and wrapped an arm around your shoulders and led you over to the nearest jump pad. "Ignore them. Let's get the hell out of here and find a few more of these guys. We can make a game of it and see who can hit the most. Twenty credits says it'll be me." Well, now you just couldn't refuse something like that. 

"You're on~" All of you walked away to return to Janey Springs with the digistruct key, but the other three behind you watched in mild concern, especially Athena. This could only spell trouble from here on out. 


End file.
